It’s About Damn Time: Denzel Washington to Be Felicitated With the Same Presidential Honor as Tom Hanks and Robert de Niro

SUMMARY

• Denzel Washington is a veteran actor with a plethora of movies and projects to his name.
• The actor has received critical acclaim for some iconic movies like The Equalizer and Malcom X.
• Well, the actor is going to be bestowed with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his stellar Hollywood filmography.

Denzel Washington is an iconic star who has starred in countless movies and projects throughout his iconic Hollywood career. Well, a veteran status deserves an equally high award.

Denzel Washington in a still from Training Day | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Similar to Tom Hanks and Robert de Niro, The Equalizer star is being awarded with the highest civilian award in the United States and the world cannot be more happy for him.

Denzel Washington will receive a presidential medal!

The presidential medal of freedom is the highest civilian award that can be given to a United States citizen. It is bestowed by the president to any person who is recognized for their meritorious contribution.

Denzel Washington in a still from The Hurricane | Credits: Universal Pictures

In the case of Denzel Washington, the iconic actor will be recognized for his efforts in cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. With an iconic career in Hollywood, the actor’s award is well-deserved.

The news was shared on X by fans and fans couldn’t be happier for the Gladiator II star.

Denzel Washington will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. pic.twitter.com/iqiIFTMO8d

Although the actor is going to receive the highest civilian award in the United States, he had his fair share of problems and disputes with the Academy Awards after he didn’t receive an Oscar win.

The actor was very confident in his performance in 1992’s Malcolm X and 1999’s The Hurricane but unfortunately for the star, the Academy Awards decided to go with someone else instead.

Denzel Washington was disappointed with the academy awards

For his performance as Malcolm X in the 1992 film, the actor received an Oscar nomination for Best Performance in a Lead Actor. However, the actor didn’t earn a win at the 1993 Academy Awards.

Washington in a still from Gladiator II | Credits: Scott Free Productions

In 2000, the actor was put in the same spot since he earned another Oscar nomination for his part in The Hurricane. It was Kevin Spacey who took home the trophy that night and Washington was left disappointed.

After losing an Oscar win for the second time, Denzel Washington admitted to Esquire that he didn’t care about the Academy Awards anymore. His wife watched all the Oscar-nominated films but he felt it was all in vain.

I went through a time then when [my wife] Pauletta would watch all the Oscar movies — I told her, I don’t care about that. Hey: ‘They don’t care about me? I don’t care.’ You vote. You watch them. I ain’t watching that. I gave up. I got bitter. My pity party.

After 2002’s Training Day, the actor finally bagged an Oscar win. Ever since then, he has been nominated 5 times but he hasn’t bagged another win till now. But… he is going to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom soon, so it’s a win-win for the star.

Training Day, which was released in 2001, currently stands at a rating of 7.8/10 on IMDb and an equally high of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. The iconic film is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.

Written by Visarg Acharya

Articles Published: 2647

Visarg Acharya, Associate Content Writer, has been heavily involved in movies, series, and history. Having an experience of 2 years in the field of content writing, Visarg is a seasoned writer. Having a degree in Physics, Visarg Acharya has published a dissertation alongside a plethora of poems and short stories along the way.