“I forgot what the question was, but I’m at a loss for words. I didn’t know he said that.”
Denzel Washington almost burst into tears when he heard about his son’s praise for his career.
While speaking to Access at the launch of his upcoming film “The Little Things” over the weekend, the legendary actor, 66, seemed to be thrilled to learn what his son John David Washington said about him in a recent interview.

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Last month, John David, 36, shared his thoughts on his father being voted best actor of the 21st century by The New York Times.
“I think it was about time,” the “Tenet” actor told Access at the time. “I think he is one of the greatest he has ever done, so it was a very proud moment for our whole family.”
When Access’s Sibley Scoles shared the quote with Denzel, he seemed moved by his son’s kind words.
“Wow. I’m speechless,” he said, almost crying. “I forgot what the question was, but I’m at a loss for words. I didn’t know he said that.”
“Watch out for his sister,” added Denzel. “His sister is a great actor. Olivia Washington.” (Denzel also noted that his other daughter, Katia, is the producer of John David’s next film, “Malcolm and Marie”.)
In November, NY Times film critics AO Scott and Manohla Dargis published a list of the “25 greatest actors of the 21st century (so far)”. For first place, Denzel won several other Oscar winners, including Mahershala Ali, Tilda Swinton and Joaquin Phoenix.
According to Scott, he and Dargis “fought and argued over all the other slots on the list”, except for Denzel who took first place.
“Denzel Washington is beyond the category: a titan of the canvas who is also a subtle and sensitive craftsman, with serious old school stage training and the presence of a flaming movie star,” wrote Scott.
“It makes work – by that I mean acting – seem to breathe,” added Dargis. “Washington may express an anguished vulnerability, but it can rise like a colossus, hovering over worlds like an Old Testament patriarch – it’s extraordinary, given the depictions of black masculinity on the screen not too long ago.”