‘They’re About to Get Their A— Whupped!’: Denzel Washington Caught Off Guard After His Sons Crash His Interview, Fans Say the Actor’s Response Was Everything
Academy Award winner Denzel Washington got a pleasant surprise during a recent press junket to promote his upcoming film “Gladiator II.”
While sitting with “Good Day Chicago” anchor Jake Stakes, Washington was surprised by a question from two fans that nearly made the usually unshakeable Hollywood elder statesman lose his composure with joy.
“I normally don’t really do fan questions,” Stakes shared with the New York native, “but I came across two gentlemen in Chicago who asked me a question about your performance, and it was such a good question that I did not want to take credit for it. I said we’ll put it on camera and I’ll show it to him. Do you mind if I show you this question?”
Denzel Washington’s sons, Malcolm and John David, crash their dad’s “Gladiator II” interview. (Photos by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Netflix)
Stakes then shows Washington a video of two gentlemen who happen to be his sons, John David and Malcolm Washington, who are both on a separate press tour to promote their family film, “The Piano Lesson,” a silver screen adaptation of August Wilson’s Tony-nominated play.
Malcolm asked his dad on the clip, shown to the actor on Stakes’ phone, “Mr. Washington, do all your own stunts?”
The “Malcolm X” star burst out into laughter, extremely happy to see his sons. Chuckling as he says, “Got my two sons.”
Stakes thought that who was better to ask the question than the heirs apparent to the Washington film legacy both on and off-screen.
Washington eventually answered the question saying that he does not do all of his own stunts.
“No, I do not,” he said, before reconsidering and coming clean, “I do some of my own stunts. My days of doing stunts are getting near to the end.”
“The young boy needs to learn,” Washington continued, about his young “Gladiator II” co-star, Paul Mescal needing to master the art of stunt work.
“Paul… he’s a flying around… getting thrown around 50 times. You can do that when you’re 28/ 29.”
The comments from his fans on social media were just as amusing.
One person wrote, “This reaction though!! I’d save that laugh as my ringtone.”
Another gave props to the actor, writing, “Denzel is a National Treasure.”
When the Art of Dialogue posted the clip, many people weighed in, just as tickled at the 20x NAACP Award winner’s response as he was of his sons.
One fan joked, “Hey put the phone down like ‘They about to get they a— whupped.’”
Some fans simply commented, “That’s that O.G reaction. He proud af of his sons you can tell.”
Washington, who is the proud father of four adult children he shares with wife Pauletta Washington, has often encouraged their kids for forge their own path in the industry.
This is important to note as John David Washington, the eldest child, attempted to find his own way by distancing himself from his father.
In several interviews throughout his career as an actor, John David shared that he purposefully hid from people that he was Washington’s son, opting to tell people that his father was a construction worker.
In fact, the Morehouse graduate played college football and then later went on to play in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams before suffering a career-ending injury. He believed that on the football field, no one could say that he was resting on his dad’s laurels, despite falling in love with acting when he was a small child.
John David said that he fell in love with acting at the age of 5, watching his dad do “Richard III” during a Shakespeare in the Park series in New York City.
“When we were walking the streets,” he said in a 2018 interview with Andscape, “Sometimes he would recite his lines. … I loved the language … loved those words.”
John David even memorized his father’s dialogue from his 1989 film, “Glory, which is still his favorite movie.
“I knew then that I wanted to do it,” he said.
But it wasn’t just his dad’s robust stage presence and captivating performances that made him fall in love with acting. He adores his mother as an actor, too.
He explained, “My mom was a tremendous artist as well before she got with my father and she [told] her stories … all the sacrifices she had to make. She used to sit down and just play piano. All the classical numbers … without even needing to read the score!”
When he scored his breakout role in the Spike Lee film, “BlacKKKlansman,” not only did the world see that he was a stand-alone star, but so did his dad, who never realized his eldest’s passion for acting.
The Tony winner has also embraced his younger white actor colleague, Mescal, in a paternal manner.
Denzel Washington says he feels like a “proud father” watching Paul Mescal in GLADIATOR 2. pic.twitter.com/gfdomIO7uY
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) October 24, 2024
During a recent interview to promote the new film, Washington expressed feelings of pride and admiration for Mescal’s talent.
In full costume, Washington said, “Paul was more than ready. It was a bit of a proud father thing for me, you know. Just watching him do his thing.”
While Washington may have likened Paul to a son, he is clear about who his two boys are, and this is shown in the way he beams while talking about them. His oldest daughter, Olivia Washington, starred in Amazon Prime’s “I’m a Virgo.”
“Gladiator II” hits the theaters on Nov. 22, and John David’s directorial debut, “The Piano Lesson,” where dad joins his sons and second daughter, Katia, as a producer, arrives the same day on Netflix.