Any parent has a proud moment when their child accomplishes something great. For acclaimed actor Denzel Washington, it was watching his son, John David Washington, in Tenet while at director Christopher Nolan's home.
Denzel Washington continues to prove why he is one of the greatest actors of all time and that he has no plans of slowing down. This year alone, he has starred in the neo-noir crime thriller The Little Things, Joel Coen's historical thriller The Tragedy of Macbeth, and has directed Michael B. Jordan in the drama A Journal for Jordan.
While promoting The Tragedy of Macbeth from A24, Washington told ReelBlend's Kevin McCarthy about the unforgettable experience of seeing his son star as a spy in Nolan's mind-bending Tenet, and that every emotion hit him. "It was too weird. First of all, we went to Chris’ house and screened it in his theater. So I’m sitting here, now I’m watching my son starring in a Christopher Nolan movie in Christopher Nolan’s house, so there was a lot going on," Washington recalled. "I’m looking at my son, and I’m like, ‘He sounds like me.’ I’m like, ‘Of course, he sounds like you, stupid. He is you.’ There were so many things that I was experiencing as a father."
While Denzel Washington may have been surprised as to what he was witnessing, what's not surprising is how his son continues to become one Hollywood's biggest stars. John David Washington had his breakthrough in Spike Lee's Oscar winning BlacKkKlansman, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He then would find greater success in 2020 and 2021, starring in smaller budget projects like Netflix's Malcolm & Marie and Beckett as well as leading Tenet's ensemble as the mysterious CIA agent called the Protagonist. He is also set to star alongside Margot Robbie, Christian Bale, Robert De Niro, and Rami Malek in David O. Russell's (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) upcoming untitled project.
It would've been interesting to hear what Denzel Washington and his son had to say after that screening of Tenet and if any conversation about future collaborations between both Washingtons and Nolan were ever brought up. However, John David Washington is expected to join Samuel L. Jackson in Barry Jenkins' The Piano Lesson, a new film from Netflix based on August Wilson's famous play, with Denzel Washington also set to produce.
Even if they still won't share the screen together, with amount of big names joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Michael B. Jordan's comments about wanting Denzel to join the MCU, maybe fans will eventually see both Denzel Washington and John David Washington together in the same frame.
Tenet is streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Kevin McCarthy/Twitter