Denzel Washington has his own take on the cancel culture debate.
While discussing his latest film, “Highest 2 Lowest,” with Complex News, the actor posed the question, “What does that mean — to be canceled?” when asked if he ever worries about being “canceled.”
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When told by the interviewer, Jillian Hardeman-Webb, “it means you lose public support,” Washington replied, “Who cares?”
Sitting with frequent collaborator and “Highest 2 Lowest” director Spike Lee, Washington continued, “What made public support so important to begin with?”
Hardeman-Webb replied that “followers now are currency,” to which Washington answered with a emboldened response.
“I don’t care who’s following who,” he said. “You can’t lead and follow at the same time, and you can’t follow and lead at the same time. I don’t follow anybody. I follow the heavenly spirit. I follow God, I don’t follow man. I have faith in God. I have hope in man, but look around, it ain’t working out so well.”
He added, “You can’t be canceled if you haven’t signed up. Don’t sign up.” While laughing and stretching his arms, he told Lee, “Don’t get me started. You know, chest is getting tight talking about it.”
Having a similar attitude, Lee added, “I could care less.”
This isn’t the first time Washington has expressed how he’s unaffected by public opinion. In a conversation with journalist Jake Hamilton on “Jake’s Takes,” the Oscar winner shared he does not care about winning Academy Awards.
“I don’t do it for the Oscars,” he said. “I really don’t care about that kind of stuff.”
Washington continued, “I’ve been at this a long time, and there’s times when I’ve won, shouldn’t have won, didn’t win, should have won. Man gives the award. God gives the reward. I’m not that interested in the Oscars. People say, ‘Well, where do you keep it?’ I say, ‘Next to the other one.’”
“I’m not bragging. I’m just telling you how I feel about it. On my last day, it ain’t going to do me a bit of good,” he finished.
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