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Denzel Washington spoke candidly about problems with alcohol, detailing the reasons and his sobriety in an interview.
Veteran actor Denzel Washington revealed his past problems with alcohol in a lengthy interview with esteemed sir of the magazine Winter 2024 issue. Interview released in conjunction with promotion for his starring role Gladiator II.
The Oscar winner explained how he preferred wine and spoke of drinking because he was “bitter” after losing out on an Oscar in 1999 for his portrayal of wrongfully imprisoned boxer Reuben 'Hurricane' Carter in The Typhoon to controversial actor Kevin Spacey for his role American Beauty. “Wine is very difficult,” Washington said. “It's too slow. It's not like, boom, all of a sudden. And part of it was that we built this big house in 1999 with a ten thousand bottle cellar and I learned to drink the best. So I'll drink my '61 and my '82 and whatever we ate.”
The equalizer The actor emphasized that he never interfered with his acting work due to his self-imposed nature. “I would call Gil Turner's Fine Wines & Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, Send me two bottles, the best of this or that. And my wife says, why do you keep ordering only two? I said, because if I order more, I'll drink more. So I kept it in two bottles and drank both during the day,” he recalls, continuing, “I never drank while I was working or preparing. I was cleaning, going back to work — I could do both. All those months of filming, bang, it's time to go. Then, boom. Three months of wine, then time to get back to work.”
Denzel Washington reveals he is now sober
Washington would note that the period of fifteen years until he completely gave up alcohol caused “much damage to the body.” But he said he has been sober for ten years from next month. “I haven't had a thimble since,” he said. Washington credited his faith and health awareness with the help of Lenny Kravitz, who helped him get a personal trainer.
