Denzel Washington, quickly to return to the Broadway stage with Othello reverse Jake Gyllenhaal, got here throughout a little bit of an unexpected snafu round rehearsals.
In a Q&A with the New York Instances forward of the present’s previews Feb. 24, the Tony and two-time Oscar winner mentioned he by accident nearly bit his tongue off, with the damage affecting his efficiency.
“I bit my tongue nearly half-off a number of months in the past,” he mentioned. “It’s affecting my speech. It forces me to decelerate … I’ve to use it. I’ve a line: ‘Whither will you that I am going to reply this your cost?’ It’s onerous as a result of my tongue is swollen and I obtained some momentary tooth put in as a result of my tooth fell out of my head. It has affected the whole lot.”
He added, “I don’t suppose it’s ever gonna heal. It’s like I obtained a bit flap in there now.”
Elsewhere within the interview, the famous Shakespeare lover additionally addressed the dearth of an Academy Award nomination for his flip in Gladiator II, lauded as a scene-stealing efficiency by critics and audiences alike. Within the Ridley Scott sequel, he performs the crafty Macrinus, who has risen from the ranks of slave to powerbroker in historical Roman society.
“I used to be sitting there smiling, going: Take a look at you — on the day you didn’t get a nomination for an Oscar, you’re engaged on Othello on Broadway. Are you kidding me? ‘Awww. Oh, I’m so upset,’” he mentioned, feigning dissatisfaction.
“I’m blissful for all [that] that did, and I’m pleased with what I’m doing,” he added. “Pay attention, I’ve been round too lengthy, and I don’t wanna say I obtained different fish to fry … there’s a actuality at this age: I’m getting wiser, engaged on speaking much less and studying to grasp extra — and that’s thrilling.”
