Despite being the son of one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, John David Washington recently revealed that his pursuit of the arts took a while as he previously wanted to carve out his own identity to separate himself from his ties to Denzel Washington.
“I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life… but I was hiding it,” he said to Sky News. “I had to conceal that passion based on my relationship to the world and more specifically, my folks being in the industry, so I chose ball.”
Since he was the son of an iconic actor, John quickly felt the pressures and expectations that come with being the child of a celebrity. This led the 40-year-old to venture off into the world of sports, specifically football. However, his passion for the arts remained a career goal.
“I loved ball, but I was sort of hiding my love for the arts under a helmet – literally an American football helmet – and so when I wanted to become an actor, when I decided to pursue it, that was a big shock to some people,” he continued.
While John currently has his hands busy with the arts, his football career was just as impressive. The actor had a stint with the St. Louis Rams and four seasons with the United Football League’s Sacramento Mountain Lions before his departure. But, when he finally decided to embrace his true calling, John made sure to keep it under wraps.
“Some people didn’t know I was even pursuing it professionally until I got a job,” he continued.
Since the acceptance, John’s career has skyrocketed! His journey kicked off with his feature in Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” where he starred as on Stallworth, an African-American detective who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan. Shortly after, he scored the leading role in Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” thriller, as well as, sci-fi film “The Creator.” Outside of film, John has also made his way to the stage, starring in the 2020 Broadway revival of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lessons” alongside actor Samuel L. Jackson.
“He [Jackson] originated the role I play at Yale with Lloyd Richards and August Wilson,” John said. “It was of great importance for us to learn from both he and Michael Potts about August Wilson. It was a great blessing for me, I think, for all of us to have him present on set.”
