When your dad is the award-winning actor Denzel Washington, and as his son you’re also an actor, you’re probably going to be referred to as ‘Denzel Washington’s son’ quite a few times.
It’s an unfortunate by-product of being the offspring of Hollywood royalty, and lazy journalists are probably going to use the epithet fairly regularly.
But Denzel Washington’s son (see what I did there?) also has a mum. I know, weird right?
And Denzel Washington’s son John David Washington isn’t going to let you forget that. Your dad may have a number of Oscars to his name, but that doesn’t mean your mum – herself a successful actor and musician, Pauletta Washington (née Pearson) – doesn’t have her own fair share of amazing achievements.
Denzel hasn’t been quiet about his long-lasting partnership with Pauletta either. Speaking to People in a recent interview, he revealed the secrets to their happy marriage of 35 years.
John David Washington’s dad, Denzel, said:
I do what I’m told. I keep my mouth shut […] You can buy a house, but that doesn’t make it a home – and not to say a man can’t make a home a home, but my wife has made our house a home, and raised these beautiful kids [John David, 34, Katia, 30, twins Olivia and Malcolm, 27] and protected them and sacrificed for them, she did the heavy-lifting.
Pauletta’s son John David is starring in Spike Lee’s latest film BlacKkKlansman, in which he plays Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer who manages to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.
In a recent interview with Today, the reporter began a question to the actor with ‘Being the son of Denzel Washington…’ to which John David was quick to respond.
He coolly interjected:
And Pauletta Washington. [She] was earning more money than he was before they got married. She was on Broadway working and she paid for the first date, paid the bill, paid for the cab ride. She’s a classically-trained pianist, went to Juliard. She’s a great artist in her own right and I learned a lot from her. My father taught me how to hunt, my mother taught me how to love.
You can watch the moment here:
The Washingtons are a busy family, as well as John David starring in BlacKkKlansman, Pauletta’s husband Denzel is following up his brilliant film The Equalizer with – naturally – The Equalizer 2.
Though the first film wasn’t a critical success, it was a hit with fans and did well commercially, bringing in an impressive $192.3 million against a budget of just $73 million.
With a box-office like that, it’s clear why Sony was keen to develop a sequel to the first film, in fact, the studio was so confident in the film they greenlit it seven months before the first Equalizer movie was even released.
BlacKkKlansman will be in cinemas from August 24 in the UK and August 10 in the US.
The Equalizer 2 bursts into cinemas on August 17 in the UK and July 20 in the US.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.