Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington, 70, has been seen by millions in a wide variety of situations across major film productions for decades, starting with break-out roles in Glory (1989) and Malcolm X (1992).
But a few days before Christmas, on Dec. 21, the actor was seen in a brand-new setting — getting baptized at the church he grew up attending as a child, Kelly Temple, Church of God in Christ, in New York. He also received a minister’s license during the service, which allows him to begin training to be ordained in the future.
Washington “grew up in the church” and was “always in church,” he recalled recently, with a father who was a pastor for the Church of God in Christ, while also working for a local department store and the New York City Water Department. “My father was a man of God. And a very gentle man,” he told Esquire in November.
Washington later struggled with alcohol and would wake up “not knowing what happened” — but he’s been clean ten years now. “I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since,” he explained in the Esquire story.
“The biggest moment of my life was when I was filled with the Holy Spirit,” he said in the article, sharing a memory from the 1980s when he decided, “I’m just gonna give it up to God today, whatever that means.”
Washington went on to explain how his view of God has changed throughout his life.
“Things I said about God when I was a little boy, just reciting them in church along with everybody else, I know now. God is real. God is love. God is the only way. God is the true way. God blesses. It’s my job to lift God up, to give Him praise, to make sure that anyone and everyone I speak to the rest of my life understands that He is responsible for me.”
Alone time with God
Washington has been public for a long time about reading the Bible “every day,” according to Reader’s Digest.
The actor shared his “morning ritual” in more detail with Esquire: “First thing I do is pray every morning. I read my Bible. I read my Daily Word every day. I get in my half an hour of quiet time. I try to wake up now and sit there first, put my feet on the floor, and sit, and be quiet.”
The actor explained to Esquire that faith is “not talked about in this town (Hollywood). ... It’s not fashionable. It’s not sexy. But that doesn’t mean people in Hollywood don’t believe. ... It’s not like we all meet somewhere and discuss what we believe. So I don’t know how many other actors have faith. I didn’t do no poll. How would I find that out?”
He added that he tries to use his acting skills to glorify God.
“I’ve been blessed with this ability to act, and I’ve tried to use it for goodness’ sake. For God-ness’ sake,” he said, explaining how faith has “always informed the roles I choose.”
Although he says “most of my performances are faith filled,” even when he’s playing a bad guy, he said, “Even in the darkest stories, I’m looking for the light.”
It’s not the movies he’s proudest of
Washington often expresses gratitude for the chance to be an actor. But in his conversation with Esquire, he said, “I don’t want to make light of it, but it’s just acting, man. It ain’t rocket science. I don’t mark the big moments of my life by the movies I made.”
So, what’s more important than acting to the actor?
“When I think of what I’m proudest of, anything I’ve accomplished doesn’t even come to mind. It’s our children,” he said, referring to his two grown sons and two daughters. “They’re good people. They know right from wrong. What else can you ask for, you know?”
“We taught them the old-fashioned, hard-work way,” he said, recalling how his wife Pauletta “read a chapter from the Bible to them every day at breakfast and they would have discussions about it.”
In a 2010 interview with The Guardian, Washington said, “My children are good people. They are not perfect, but they are generous and humble and kind. My wife did that.”
“She laid the foundation while I was out … bringing home the bacon!” He expressed his gratitude for his wife, “Pauletta did a brilliant job with them. She taught them the right way. I came along for the ride. I taught by example — good and bad.”
Denzel Washington’s marriage
At his baptismal service, which was broadcast on Facebook, Washington said he was “thankful for all that God has given me in 70 years,” including “a loving, faithful wife” (which he said three times in a row), honoring his wife who was attending the service.
In 1995, Pauletta and Denzel Washington renewed their vows, with Pauletta acknowledging the challenges that can arise in marriage.
“I live with this man. I see the down part. I see the sad part. I see every part,” she said, according to HuffPost, adding, “He knows he has that stability in me as his wife. That gives him strength.”
‘There’s nothing He can’t do for you’
“It took a while, but I’m finally here,” Washington said after the baptism, recalling a woman, Ruth Green, who had predicted when he was 20 that he would “travel the world and preach to millions of people.”
“If (God) can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you. The sky literally is the limit, and there’s no limit to the sky. God is good all the time.”
“God is with us when we’re not with him. He’s for us when we’re not for him,” Washington continued. “He watches us when we don’t watch him. He protects us when we don’t protect ourselves. And he gives to us when we don’t deserve.”
“Anything and everything I can do, I will do for this church, for the Almighty,” he said at the service — “I just want to be in that number, when the Saints go marching in. Amen.”
Correction: A previous version listed Denzel Washington as 69. He just turned 70 on December 28, 2024. The article has been updated.