Denzel Washington on The Moment He Left Auditions Behind: “It’s Been About 40 Years”

Imagine being in Hollywood for so long that auditions feels like a distant memory. For Denzel Washington, that’s been his reality for nearly 40 years.

With a career that’s brought us iconic roles in “Book of Eli,” “Flight,””Malcolm X,””American Gangster,” and “The Equalizer,” it’s no surprise that Denzel left the audition phase behind decades ago.

During a chat with BBC1Xtra, Denzel was asked, “You must be at that stage where you’re not reading scripts or auditioning anymore, right?”

He let out a laugh before responding,

It’s been about 40 years for that [love]. About 40 years.

Reflecting on his impressive run, Denzel added,

Yeah, I haven’t auditioned for a movie in… I don’t know if it’s exactly 40. I won an Academy Award in 1989. How many years ago was that? I’m sure nobody asked me to audition after that. But, I may be wrong.

When asked if he ever misses the audition process, his answer was simple and straight to the point: “No.”

At this point in his career, Denzel is clearly in a league of his own. Auditioning? Those are ancient history.

Watch the conversation below