Actor Denzel Washington earned many award nominations and wins, but was left out of a major awards ceremony. Washington recently saw new things this year with his performance in the wake of Ridley Scott's legacy Gladiator II, which also starred Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Connie Nielsen. The film is set sixteen years after the events of the original Oscar-winning film and follows the story of Lucius as he is forced into the infamous Colosseum. Gladiator II opened to solid reviews and a respectable box office performance.
Talking to International ScreenWashington opened up about the only awards ceremony for which he has not yet been nominated, the British Academy Film Awardsmore commonly known as BAFTAs. Washington jokingly says: “What's up with that?”And consider whether you said something bad, before saying that you are satisfied with the oversight and have enough goals and want to focus now. Read his full comment below:
Yeah, what's up with that? Did I do something or say something bad? But listen – it's okay. I'm looking to do my best work right now and I have enough goals and desires to achieve them.
What this means for Denzel Washington's career
The BAFTAs have a chance to rectify this.
Despite numerous diversity initiatives, including the week-long BAFTA x POC in Play in 2020, which highlighted over 100 featured posts from Black artists and Black-led projects, the BAFTAs remain notorious for ignoring POC performances. In 76 years, no black woman has won Best Actress, and in her four-decade career, Washington has not received a single nomination, despite her two-time Oscar success.
The BAFTAs have the chance to right this wrong at their 2025 awards ceremonylike Washington's performance in Gladiator II It's one of the best in years and one of the standout performances in the film. Several media outlets and film experts predict that Washington is a contender for Best Supporting Actor alongside awards season favorite Kieran Culkin (A real pain). While the win may go to Culkin, a BAFTA nomination for veteran actor is warranted.
Our Take on the BAFTAs Overlooking Denzel Washington
That's still pretty shocking, even if Washington isn't that upset about it.
The fact that Washington has not yet been nominated for any of his performances is disconcerting and reopens the old wound of the fight against diversity in cinema. Unfortunately, Washington isn't the only talented black actor who has been overlooked by the BAFTAs, as legendary actor Morgan Freeman has yet to receive a nomination. It's good to know that Washington isn't too bothered by this, but the actor deserves a nomination to eliminate the big four. We hope that next year's BAFTA Awards correct this error and give washington the nomination he has long deserved.
Source: International Screen