Last month, we reported that many were shocked when the A-list Hollywood star Denzel Washington, 70, was snubbed by the Oscars.
Indeed, it had been widely believed that he would pick up a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work in Gladiator 2. When the list of nominations came out, however, Washington’s name was nowhere to be found.
Now, Washington has finally broken his silence about this snub. Thankfully, he seems to be taking it in stride!
Washington Addresses Oscars Snub
“I was sitting there smiling, going: Look at you. On the day you didn’t get a nomination for an Oscar, you’re working on Othello on Broadway,” Washington told The New York Times when asked how he felt about the snub.
“Are you kidding me? Awww. Oh, I’m so upset,” he sarcastically added with a laugh.
Getting serious again, Washington continued, “I’m happy for all that did, and I’m happy with what I’m doing. Listen, I’ve been around too long. I’ve got — I don’t wanna say other fish to fry, but there’s a reality at this age. The beginning of wisdom is understanding. I’m getting wiser, working on talking less and learning to understand more — and that’s exciting.”
Who Was Nominated Instead?
Washington had been expected to receive an Oscar nomination this year, as his performance in Gladiator 2 was a hit with critics. During this awards season, Washington was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2025 Golden Globes and 2025 Critics Choice Awards.
At the Oscars, however, he came up short. Instead, the Oscars nominated Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Yura Borisov (Anora), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) and Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) for Best Supporting Actor. Culkin is widely projected to be the winner, as he has swept many of the Best Supporting Actor awards this season.
Washington’s snub was likely easier for him to take, given how much love the Oscars has shown him in the past. He’s won two Oscars, winning Best Supporting Actor in 1990 for Glory and Best Actor in 2002 for Training Day. In total, Washington has been nominated for ten Oscars. Most recently, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in 2022 for The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Check out Washington in action in a trailer for Gladiator 2 below.
Related: At 69, Denzel Washington Gets Baptized and Becomes a Minister
Washington Addresses Retirement
This comes months after Washington shocked his fans by revealing he plans to retire after he completes his upcoming acting projects.
“I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. Probably not that many,” Washington told Australia’s Today in November. “I want to do things I haven’t done. I’ve played Othello at 22, I’m about to play Othello at 70. After that I’m playing Hannibal, after that I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film…After that Ryan Coogler’s writing a part for me in the next Black Panther.”
Washington went on to say that he will then “do the film Othello. After that I’m going to do King Lear. After that I’m going to retire.”
Washington later clarified to BuzzFeed what exactly he meant by this.
“I didn’t say I was going to go into retirement,” Washington explained. “I said that it has to be a level of interest for me.”
“I’m more interested in getting behind the camera, so that’s about five years out,” he concluded. “It’s very difficult. I may have used the word ‘retire’… but I look at life in three sections – you learn, you earn and you return. I’m in the return part of life.”
While Washington’s Oscar snub certainly came as a shock, we’re glad that it doesn’t seem to have bothered him too much. Here’s hoping one of Washington’s upcoming projects earns him some Oscars love again!
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