15 Little-Known Facts About Denzel Washington

Yes, you read that correctly. In a 2016 interview with ABC News, Washington opened up about his rebellious streak and said, "I was mischievous. My three closest friends did quite a bit of time [in jail]...decades."

Although his pals went down a darker path, Washington's mom, Lennis, totally changed his life's trajectory by enrolling him in a private school. He explained, "[My mother] had enough sense to get me out of that situation before it was going to be my turn. I was what they call 'throwing rocks at the penitentiary,' but I never hit it. I never got caught… But I also knew right from wrong, so I never wanted to go too far. I'd dip my toe in the water."

Per Far Out magazine, Washington's parents were strict when it came to the kind of content he watched on TV. In fact, they only allowed him to watch two movies. He said, "My father was a minister, so we grew up in a church and we didn’t go to the movies…King of Kings and The Ten Commandments and that was it. Appearing in a Western wasn’t like some childhood dream."

Washington's rise to fame began with his portrayal of Dr. Phillip Chandler in the NBC medical drama series, St. Elsewhere, but did you know that he considered becoming a doctor in real life? He told ABC News, "I was actually pre-med. I thought, 'You go to college, be a doctor.'"

However, he changed gears after realizing he didn't have a passion for it. He added, "I went into political science, pre-law...I found out I wasn't doctor material, I found out I wasn't lawyer material."

In a 1999 interview with Parade magazine, Washington got candid about potentially following in his father's footsteps and becoming a preacher.

He said, "A part of me, and I’m being real honest with you, still says, ‘Maybe, Denzel, you’re supposed to preach. Maybe you’re still compromising.’ Well, right now, since I’ve been given this ability to act. So then I say to myself, ‘OK, you’ve been blessed. What are you going to do with it?’ I’ve had an opportunity to play great men and, through their words, to preach. I take what talent I’ve been given seriously, and I want to use it for good."

The Hollywood star was born to Lennis "Lynne" Washington and Denzel Hayes Washington in 1954, which technically makes him Denzel Washington Jr. But here's the kicker: Denzel Sr. was named after the doctor who delivered him, Dr. Denzel, per IMDB. Although they have the same first name, they pronounce it slightly differently. The original Denzel puts stress on the first syllable, "DEN-zel" while the actor's pronounced "den-ZEL."

You may have heard him recount the incredible story in past interviews, but in case you missed it: Washington—then a college student—sat in his mother's beauty parlor when an elderly woman gave him a prophetic message.

He told Parade, "I’ve felt the hand of God on my life, no doubt about it. I remember sitting in my mother’s beauty parlor in Mount Vernon, New York, on March 27, 1975, and in the mirror I kept seeing this woman looking at me. I was doing so bad in school, and this woman said, ‘Somebody give me a piece of stationery! I’m having a prophecy!’ I still have that piece of paper. ‘You’re going to speak to millions of people,’ she said to me. ‘You’re going to do great things!’ And I thought, ‘Yeah, right. When’s that going to start? On Monday? I’m flunking out of school.’"

You may have seen the popular crime thriller, which follows a veteran detective and rookie cop as they pursue a criminal who committed the seven deadly sins. But did you know that Brad Pitt's role, Detective David Mills, was previously offered to Washington?

As for why he turned it down, he told Off Script, "I thought the script was too demonic. Then, I saw the movie and thought, 'Oh. I blew it.'" (The movie went on to become a major box office success and earned an Oscar nomination.)

He's one of just eight actors to be nominated in five different decades, to be exact. Washington has received Oscar nods during the '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s and '20s, joining the ranks of stars like Katharine Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Laurence Olivier, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine and Frances McDormand.

Speaking of the Oscars, Washington attended his first ceremony in 1988, when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Cry Freedom. However, he was able to predict his loss and decided to leave early after noticing the crowd's response to fellow nominee Sean Connery. He told Off Script, "[Connery] was up for The Untouchables. He comes out to present an award and got a three-minute standing ovation—for presenting an award. I said, ‘Well, I’ll get the coats, ‘cause I know I ain’t winning tonight.'"

While he didn't take home a trophy, he didn't leave empty-handed. On his way out, he spotted food and helped himself to a serving. He added, “I see a big tray, and I’m like, ‘I’m leaving here with something.’...Then my mother told me to get the flower arrangement. True story.”

In May 2007, the actor received an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Morehouse College. In addition, he received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Fordham University, in 1991 and an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011.

Yep, it turns out the Oscar-winning film left an impression on Hollywood's leading man. Washington told Far Out, “I’ll never forget the first time I saw The Godfather. It affected me because I remember thinking, ‘Now, this is a good picture from start to finish.’”

Another favorite of his? David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. He recalled, “It was the first time I saw anything so strange. You gotta love a movie that has your jaw-dropping. At least it provokes a response, which is what a great film is supposed to do.”