Denzel Washington was baptized over the weekend.
The two-time Academy Award-winning actor received a certificate of baptism and a minister's license, which allows him to pursue ordination if he chooses, after the baptism, which took place at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in Harlem, according to Deadline. The First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Eastern New York streamed the service on Facebook.
"In one week I turn 70. It took a while, but I'm here," Washington said before thanking his wife, Pauletta Washington.
Washington spoke about his faith in an essay for Esquire last month, saying he was determined to share his beliefs and experience in an industry where talk of religion is rare.
"I'm unafraid. I don't care what anyone thinks. See, talking about the fear part of it — you can't talk like that and win Oscars. You can't talk like that and party. You can't say that in this town," he wrote in an essay.
"It's not fashionable. It's not sexy. But that doesn't mean people in Hollywood don't believe," he said at the time. "There's no such thing called Hollywood, anyway. What does that even mean? That to me means a street called Hollywood Boulevard.
"It's not like we all meet somewhere and discuss what we believe. So I don't know how many other actors have faith. I didn't do no poll. How would I find that out? I mean, there's no church actor meetings I've been to."
Washington also revealed that he was 10 years sober after drinking two bottles of wine a day for over a decade, and doing "a lot of damage" to his body.
He was 60 when he stopped drinking. He had developed a drinking pattern in the late 1990s that would span 15 years, and while he never got "strung out" on alcohol, he was drinking far more than the recommended amount.
"I've done a lot of damage to the body. We'll see. I've been clean," Washington said. "Be 10 years this December. I stopped at 60, and I haven't had a thimble's worth since. Things are opening up for me now — like being 70. It's real. And it's OK. This is the last chapter — if I get another 30, what do I want to do? My mother made it to 97."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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