Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington recently spoke about American politics and how people need to be aware of the manipulative tactics currently being used by both parties.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, editor Jonathan Dean quoted a line from Ridley Scott’s new sequel, Gladiator II, starring Washington: “Empires fall and emperors fall.” He noted that he felt the phrase was relevant to the current political climate following the election. Washington responded, “It’s very easy to stand outside America and say this and that.” “Turn around, you know? Choose your country. Anyone.”
Washington continued, “It’s all politics. Every promise has been broken. And in the information age, people on both the left and the right had better learn how to use the tools to manipulate people. There was a great line in the first movie I did. [1981’s] “Carbon copy”: “Power to the people?” Yes, they used to have it – it was called the Stone Age. ”
Furthermore, he added: “We are now slaves to information. We really are. We are all slaves. So this person is crazy, that person is sane, whatever you think about the leader. Even if you have feelings, you’d better realize that you’re being manipulated by both sides, period.” Washington finished his thought. So go to the movies. ”
Elsewhere in his interview with the Sunday Times, Washington reflected on his career and its attendant failures and successes.
“rear [1992’s] “Malcolm X” I made a real ponytail. Look them up – I won’t say their names,” Washington said. “They’re all from the 1990s. But I was making money. I had responsibilities.”
He also reflected on his acting career in the 2000s, appearing in films such as 2000’s The Hurricane and 2001’s Training Day, the latter for which he won his second Academy Award.
“So, 2000…” he thought. “Well, in life, you learn, you earn, and then you come back, as if to give back. So if you have 90 years to live, you will learn until you are 30 and earn from 30 to 60. So I was making money at that time. Thanks to a great agent, my career started making money, I started earning more money, I had bills, I had four kids, I had a house.”
