Denzel Washington Admits He’s “Tired of Movies,” Prefers Life Over Screen Time
While promoting his latest thriller Highest 2 Lowest, Washington reveals he doesn’t even watch films anymore—and emphatically downplays Hollywood accolades like the Oscars.

Hollywood legend Denzel Washington, now 70, has made a surprising confession: despite starring in roughly 50 films, he’s lost interest in watching movies—even his own. During a candid chat for GQ with director Spike Lee and co-star A$AP Rocky, the two-time Oscar winner admitted, “I don’t watch movies, man. I really don’t … I’m tired of movies.” When Lee asked how many films he’s done, Washington laughed, “Too many. I think 50!”
Washington’s acting journey began with 1981’s Carbon Copy. His career soared in the late 1980s and 2000s, earning him Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in Glory (1989) and Best Actor in Training Day (2001).
Currently, he reunites with Spike Lee in Highest 2 Lowest, a gripping crime thriller loosely inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. In the film, Washington plays a powerful music mogul ensnared in a dangerous ransom plot. The movie—marking the pair’s first collaboration in nearly two decades—premiered at Cannes in May, opened in select U.S. theaters on August 15, and heads to Apple TV+ on September 5, 2025.

Washington also brushed off the significance of awards. On a recent episode of Jake’s Takes, he stated, “I don’t do it for Oscars … I’ve been at this a long time … Man gives the award. God gives the reward.” He emphasized that Oscar statues won’t matter on his last day—a sentiment that underlines how little prestige means to him now.
In short, Denzel Washington—veteran of countless memorable roles—is turning inward, choosing purposeful storytelling over glitz and glamor, and approaching the twilight of his career with introspection rather than ambition.