Denzel Washington Says That He’s ‘Done a Lot of Damage’ to His Body Before 10-Year Sobriety
In a new Esquire cover story, Denzel Washington looked back on his life and career, with one part that it seems he’d redo if given the chance.
The 69-year-old, who stars in the upcoming action-adventure “Gladiator II,” revealed he’s been ten years sober after drinking and experimenting with substances in the past.
“I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean. [It’ll] Be ten years this December,” he told the publication. “I stopped at sixty and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now—like being seventy. It’s real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter—if I get another thirty, what do I want to do? My mother made it to ninety-seven.”
He continued, “I’m doing the best I can. And not only alcohol—forget all that.”
The two-time Academy Award winner attributed “strength” to his wellness journey, along with help from his “good friend” and “little brother,” Lenny Kravitz. The rock musician, whom the actor called “another man of God,” introduced Washington to a trainer whom he began working with last February.
“He makes the meals for me and we’re training, and I’m now 190-something pounds on my way to 185,” Washington continued. “I was looking at pictures of myself and [his wife] Pauletta at the Academy Awards for “Macbeth,” and I’m just looking fat, with this dyed hair, and I said, Those days are over, man. I feel like I’m getting strong. Strong is important.”
Elsewhere in the feature, Washington called wine his vice, calling the drink “very tricky” before detailing his old wine collection. “It’s very slow. It ain’t like, boom, all of a sudden,” he said of wine’s impact.
Washington went on to explain the substances he’s dabbled with. “I never got strung out on heroin. Never got strung out on coke. Never got strung out on hard drugs. I shot dope just like they shot dope, but I never got strung out. And I never got strung out on liquor,” he said.
We’re hoping that Washington has much more life to live and legendary roles to offer fans, as he’ll next star in Spike Lee-directed action-thriller “High and Low.”
