Denzel Washington, One Of The Highest-Paid Actors In 2024, Recalls A Time When He Was Working For The Money — Not The Other Way Around

Denzel Washington has a confession to make about his acting work in the 90s.

Yale Daily News reports that Washington’s interest in acting dates back to his time as a counselor at a YMCA camp in Lakeville, CT. Washington recalled doing skits for kids, and an individual mentioned he had “a real knack” for acting. This prompted him to pursue a major in theatre, pivoting from previous interest areas, which included biology, political science and journalism.

“When I started college, I never thought about being an actor. Sometimes it takes a little time to find your way,” he explained, according to Yale Daily News.

And find his way he did. Forbes notes that Denzel Washington is among the highest-paid actors, earning $27 million gross in 2024. While he has accumulated great wealth, there was a time in his career when he had to pursue roles primarily for the paycheck.

“My mother used to say, ‘Do what you gotta do, so that you can do what you want to do’ — it’s not the other way around,” Washington stated in an interview with CNN.

“When we had four children, I was doing stuff I had to do. You go back and look in the mid-90s — I won’t mention any movies, I’ll just say the mid-90s, around there.”

Although he does not point out specific roles, he acted in  “Crimson Tide,” “Philadelphia,” “The Pelican Brief,” and Spike Lee-produced films “Malcolm X,” and “He Got Game” during that time period.

Jeffrey Wright, who accompanied Washington for the CNN interview as part of the press tour for the forthcoming film, “Highest 2 Lowest” added, “A couple (of movies) for the kids?”

Denzel Washington responded, “More than a couple for the kids — and the wife, and the house, and the bank, and everybody else.”