It felt like all night, even if it was probably only a few minutes. And it was like, Have you been thinking this the entire time?. "I know Denzel likes some order in the house," Jackson said about Washington's dad. Theyve seen him study each movement onscreen and then recite back dialogue, practice accents. He was no longer the only one idolizing Denzel. In an interview with The Breakfast Club, the actor revealed that Spike Lee personally encouraged him to act. Each New Years Eve, their families travel together for a vacation, and as someone who knows what its like to be the child of icons (her mother is Lisa Bonet, and her father is Lenny Kravitz) and to find her own success, she says, I always say it kind of evens itself out. This time, in the 1995 film Devil in a Blue Dress. The headline began with his fathers name. Nolans films often have a complex action scene that fans end up obsessively dissecting. Washington made his breakthrough on the HBO comedy series Ballers (2015-19), playing a hotheaded N.F.L. He was envisioned as a linebacker, but at this point, shed broadened her search: Anyone who could understand this character, that balance of cocky and obnoxious and vulnerable, would do. "It definitely fits the bill." He opened his eyes to see a newspaper inches from his face. The film has more action than any film Ive ever done. InTenet, the action is relentless. Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. John David Washington has been one of the hottest talents in the past few years. You done got found out, bruh, a friend shouted. Though were two strangers in different time zones staring at screens, its impossible not to notice that Washington is one hell of a storyteller. Not celebrities, who seem to pop up every day, but Movie Stars. As a kid, hed harbored dreams of acting, and despite his dogged pursuit of a football career, the idea of becoming an actor was always in the background. . "I was on strict dietary restrictions but I was going crazy and I needed my snacks," Washington said . All of these credits led to an estimated net worth of $6 million in 2021, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Hed be great! In a new video interview with Esquire, actor John David Washington wades through the wildest fan theories about Christopher Nolan's filmography. My question for you is: Did you decide that youre going to cast John David Washington at the world premiere of BlacKkKlansman?, Nolan laughs. And no, it very much sort of felt like destiny to me. When he got it philosophically, he was off to the races. "When he graduated, he was the school's all-time leading rusher," SInoted. Pattillo began getting calls from pro scouts. Washington recounted the time when Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Potts called him out for eating banana chips in rehearsal: Sam was like, he uttered a Jackson-esque word that cannot be printed here Boy Willie dont eat no banana chips. Washington flew back and forth between filming in Miami and New York, where he took a scene-study class on Thursday nights at HB Studio in downtown Manhattan. If you ask those who knew him best then, theyll tell you JD was a sports fanatic. Was I supposed to do something else? he says. Washington's Preparations Long before John David Washington became a famous actor, he was a running back who was signed by the NFL's St. Louis Rams. Even more, he had extremely prominent roles in several of his movies like Tenet, Malcolm & Marie, and BlacKkKlansmen. Its storytelling that makes him love acting. As a result, The Protagonist acts as somewhat of a blank slate (though not necessarily uninteresting) hero for the audience to project themselves onto while watching. But he continued to chop wood, flying back and forth to the acting studio, spending his off time studying with veteran actor Henderson. Related:Tenet: Who Created The Algorithm? He rushed for more than 3,500 yards at Morehouse College in the 2000s and was an NFL running back with the Rams for a spell. Even as the movie industry struggled to figure out how to deal with restrictions and closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, John David found a way to handle it with grace. Well, hows it going, man? Luckily, hiskidnappingis merely an audition for the clandestine Tenet organization - a test he passes with flying colors. Sometimes he writes horizontally, in a circle, or in different colors. It just so happened football kept working for you. Washington read the book, not quite understanding why. Henderson remembers Denzel wanting to know. Thats when it hit me: Okay, if I mess this up, my career is basically over, he says with a hint of a smile at the memory of it. His training involves a briefing from a Q-style scientist (Clmence. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}Pedro Pascal Is Joining 'Gladiator 2', The Best, Craziest, Weirdest Moments From Cannes, Celebrities Who've Shaved Their Heads for Roles, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Is Finally Streaming, 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' Sticks the Landing, Damon Lindelof Was 'Asked to Leave' Star Wars, Christopher Nolan Is Hyping Up 'Oppenheimer', Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke Are a Great Cowboy Match, Seeing Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa Will Break Me, 'The Flash' Just Debuted Another Massive Trailer. . "It was me," he admitted, adding that he questioned whether the other person liked him only because of his famous father. But you might be surprised by which ones. There was no one cooler than his father. The injury that set everything in motion started with a violent pop. Fans know John David Washington from his high-profile movie and TV roles, like BlacKkKlansmen and Ballers. Despite his lack of theater experience, Washington has drawn raves for his performance. While injured and trying to figure out what to do next, his friend presented an option. That athleticism also puts itself into the way he walks down the street and the way he talks and the way he moves, Nolan says. I'm glad it's over," Denzel told People about how relieved he was his son was no longer injuring himself playing sports. When Henderson went back up to Broadway, Denzel wanted updates. Since his high school days, things seemed to be on the perfect trajectory for John David Washington. While working out with NFL players and trying to fight his way back, Washington injured himself. Looking back at the success, Washington gives a lot of credit to the famous director. Nope. But sadly, his success ended when Washington went undrafted. Intelligent enough (or watchedTerminator, either one) to form a time-traveling organization in the future and send his own best friend back to close the causal loop. But Washington never made it off the practice team and kept getting hurt knocking into the enormous defensive players. . '", As an actor, John David Washington appreciates the craft of other stars on TV. He had to know what was going on.". I want to get beat up, John David Washington said, explaining why he wanted to perform in The Piano Lesson., Washington with Samuel L. Jackson onstage. When Pattillo offered him a football scholarship, Washington took it; his cousin Rick, his hero, was at Morehouse, so thats where he went. He didn't study any of the performance arts to take after his parents. People have been asking him the same questions about his dad his whole life. A couple days later, he called the director back. . Thats where he writes his lines, or motivations for whatever character hes playing at the moment. What will we call him when he reaches this level of renown, when the rest of the world feel like they know him in the way all the people I interviewed do? John David explained in an interview on The Breakfast Club that his mom switched the typical gender roles in their meet-cute. The actor took the advice "not to try to imitate or act like him" and instead could "trust [his] instincts." The friend recommended she try to connect with the teen over his familys art collection. JDW? I call him a moment master.. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Denzel Washington is worth an astronomical $250 million, which makes sense when you consider he has an entire Wikipedia page devoted solely to his awards and nominations, rather than just a paragraph in his main biography. "Charlotte, that was my girl. He had no idea who he wasdidnt know his name or who his dad was. With that in mind, it is abundantly clear that Washington knows how to work hard to craft his body into an athletic machine. John David Washington says that Christopher Nolan once caught him cheating on his strict "Tenet" diet plan with a backpack full of paprika flavored Pringles. It hit there a little bit, I got to say. And sure enough, he asked his son to help around the house, making him finish "a chore or two." But Washington sadly missed a golden opportunity to learn his mom's mac and cheese recipe. To look at John David Washington's 2020 is to study what it is to be a working actor in a time of COVID. Football felt like his own domain, though his father coached his teams, sometimes borrowing, at least in Washingtons mind, from his most famous monologues for inspiration. . According to the article, this same recipe makes an "unforgettable appearance" in the 2021 film Malcolm & Marie. Particularly, the documentaryTiger King. I dont think so., Washington has been analyzingreally studyingfilmmaking since he was a kid. And I didnt think I could tell the complete story of a man after just a couple video chats, so I reached out to everyone I could to help me understand him. And then you have someone saying, Oh, this person isnt as good as their parent., Fellow actor and friend Regina King says, I wont name any particular actors, but sometimes youll see a career take off quickly and it feels like its taking off quickly because of hype. We went berserk, he says. I was pacing around my apartment in the dark. Most of us would run like hell to avoid the shadow of our parentsand most of us dont have .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}Denzel Washington as a father.