While we all have high hopes when it comes to how our favorite celebrities behave when the cameras are off, by now most of us are well aware of the fact that there are usually aspects of their personalities that we simply don’t see during the standard interview or red carpet appearance. Yes, much like regular people (which famous folks are, just with amazing jobs) celebs like Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel Washington are multi-faceted human beings who can bring a lot to the table in many different areas of life, and, according to Jackson there’s one secret about the potential Gladiator II Oscar nominee that people really don’t see coming.
The Secret About Denzel Washington That Samuel L. Jackson Said People Don’t See Coming
When someone has been famous for over 40 years like Denzel Washington (he rocketed to fame on St. Elsewhere starting in 1982), it’s incredibly hard to imagine that there’s anything we don’t know about them, especially when they generously grant regular interviews even when not starring in the long-awaited sequel to one of the best movies of the 2000s as a member of the well-received Gladiator II cast, like Washington does.
However, during a chat with the LA Times, fellow superstar actor Samuel L. Jackson noted that there’s something about Washington that actually surprises people. When speaking about his long-time friend he said:
People see Denzel and think he’s this serious actor and family man ... and some people think he’s a little grumpy. But he’s one of the funniest people on the planet. And it was so great to have somebody present my award who’s been on my journey, to look at him and know he was there — he’s still there!
The 1995 Academy Award nominee (for his legendary role in the Quentin Tarantino classic, Pulp Fiction, of course) was reflecting on what it meant for Washington to present him with an honorary Oscar in 2022, because he and the Glory star go way back to their New York theater days, before either of them were anywhere near being household names.
Now, even if you only watch that clip of Washington introducing his buddy so he can hand over his honorary award, you can see that he can be quick to laugh when the moment’s right. And, many of his public appearances do see his wit shine through at one point or another, but it’s probably true that no one would guess that the man who yelled “King Kong ain’t got shit on me!” is “one of the funniest people on the planet.”
Of course, this is part of what makes The Equalizer lead so effortlessly cool, isn’t it? If we truly know everything about a celebrity it can easily lead to them losing some of their mystique, and that bit of mystery seems to be key to keeping us hooked on everything they do, though no one could ever say that Washington’s talent alone won’t continue to have us going to theaters in droves for as long as he wishes.
Now, if somebody could just get him in a rom-com, already…
