Denzel Washington made it clear that he is not bothered by other people's opinions.
The actor, who days earlier made headlines for saying he's "not that interested in Oscars," discussed getting "canceled" in a video interview alongside director and frequent collaborator Spike Lee with Complex News.
"What does that mean — to be canceled?" he asked the interviewer, Jillian Hardeman-Webb, who explained that "it means you lose public support."
"Who cares?" Washington replied. "What made public support so important to begin with?"
Hardeman-Webb replied that "followers now are currency."
"I don't care who's following who," Washington said. "You can't lead and follow at the same time, and you can't follow and lead at the same time. I don't follow anybody. I follow the heavenly spirit. I follow God, I don't follow man. I have faith in God. I have hope in man, but look around, it ain't working out so well."
He added, "You can't be canceled if you haven't signed up. Don't sign up. Don't get me started. My chest started hurting. You know, chest is getting tight talking about it."
Earlier this week, Washington spoke candidly about the Oscars, saying during an appearance on Jake's Takes that he didn't "care about that kind of stuff."
"I've been at this a long time, and there's times when I won and shouldn't have won and then didn't win and should've won," he said. "Man gives the award. God gives the reward. … People ask me, 'Where do I keep it?' Well, next to the other one. I'm not bragging! Just telling you how I feel about it. On my last day, [Oscars] aren't going to do me a bit of good."
Washington has won two Oscars — one for his supporting role in 1989's "Glory" and the second for best actor for 2001's "Training Day." His latest film, "Highest 2 Lowest," is his fifth project, and second in almost two decades, with Lee.
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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