Actor Denzel Washington snags the cover the October issue of GQ Magazine . Inside the mag, Denzel 57 talks about the start of success, keeping out of the spotlight, his pursuit of spirituality, along with a few thoughts about Whitney Houston’s death, President Obama’s re-election and some of his daily rituals.
Sidney Poitier told me this years ago:
“If they see you for free all week, they won’t pay to see you on the weekend, because they feel like they’ve seen you. If you walk by the magazine section in the supermarket and they’ve known you all their life, there’s no mystery. They can’t take the ride. My professional work is being a better actor. I don’t know how to be a celebrity.”
On His Daily Routine:
“I read from the Bible every day, and I read my Daily Word. I read something great yesterday. It said, ‘Don’t aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference.”
On Whitney Houston:
“Whitney was my girl, and she had done so well in recovery. And that is the toughest part about addiction.”…That was a monster drug that got ahold of her, it was a mean one. You can’t go back to that one. Nobody beats that.”
On the Holy Spirit changing his life:
“That was thirty years ago, at the church I still attend. The minister was preaching, ‘Just let it go.’ I said, I’m going to go with it.’ And I had this tremendous physical and spiritual experience. It did frighten me. I was slobbering, crying, sweating. My cheeks blew up. I was purging. It was too intense. It almost drove me away. I called my mother, and she said I was being filled with the Holy Spirit. I was like, ‘Does that mean I can never have wine again?”
On his first first time on stage:
“I was around 7, 8, whatever I was. We did a talent show at the Boys Club. Me and another guy, Wayne Bridges—God rest his soul—he’s the father of Chris Bridges, Ludacris. We decided to be the Beatles. So we went to John’s Bargain Store and bought fake guitars and wigs and did ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand.’”
On Obama:
“Well, the story’s not told yet. He’s in the beginning of the third quarter. I don’t know what his legacy is yet. He’s the first—that’s a part of it. Like Jackie Robinson. But it just wasn’t the first game; it was lasting the whole thing.”
Here’s the movie preview of “Flight”