For one of the most outstanding actors of our generation, Denzel Washington deserves more than prestigious awards for his contribution to the art of cinema. With a career spanning over four decades, he continues to prove that acting knows no boundaries, whether it be age, race, or gender.
He received a major career break in television around the early ‘80s, but it was in the late ‘90s to early 2000s when he became an established Hollywood icon. With the upcoming release of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, we won’t be surprised anymore if he receives another Oscar nod.
Denzel Washington Has Never Received a BAFTA Nomination
It’s crazy to think that Denzel Washington only won two Oscars throughout his career in Hollywood. His first ever Academy Award win was Best Supporting Actor for 1990’s Glory and the second was in the Best Actor category for 2002’s Training Day. Still, fans are happy that his labor in other projects was noticed by the award-giving body.
As Gladiator II nears its worldwide release, there’s buzz that he might earn another nomination and it’s safe to say that fans are expecting it. If he snags a nod from the Academy, this will definitely be a huge milestone as it will mark his 10th Oscars acknowledgment. So far, only a few actors have accomplished this. He will also make the Black community very proud.
As explained by Luke Hearfield on Twitter, Washington will join the league of six actors who received 10 or more Oscar nods for the acting category. Moreover, he will be the first Black actor to earn a two-digit acting nomination in the history of the Academy.
Fun Oscars fact:
If Denzel Washington receives an Oscar nomination for his performance in Gladiator 2, he will join a very exclusive club of only 6 actors to earn 10 or more Oscar nominations for acting. And he will also be the first Black person to ever achieve double-digit… pic.twitter.com/7K9l2fwgZ7
— Luke Hearfield (@LukeHearfield) November 14, 2024
Unfortunately, none of Washington’s films ever took home recognition from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts or BAFTA. He only received an honorary award called the BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards in 2007.
This is absolutely insane knowing he delivers exemplary performance in every movie he appears in. There may still be time to change this, of course – and fans will surely be anticipating the announcement of his much-deserved Oscars nod.
Denzel Washington Believes Doing One’s Best is Better than Striving for an Award
With only two Oscar wins, Washington is aware of the institution’s lack of diversity. He expressed his honest sentiment about this in a conversation with 60 Minutes via CBS News. “I’ve been the guy at the Oscars without my name being called,” he said.
These awards are symbols or tokens of appreciation, but the actor argued that even though one does not receive a statuette, one should not easily lose hope. “Yeah, and so what? You going to give up? If you’re looking for an excuse, you’ll find one,” he added.
The 69-year-old star advised younger actors not to depend upon the idea of winning awards and just do their best in every project.
Gladiator II hits cinemas on November 22, 2024.
