Denzel Washington at Center of Furious 'Blaxploitation' Film Debate After Being Quizzed by 'Pretentious' White Movie Reporter
Weintraub (left) started his interview with Washington (right) with an awkward question.
Dec. 18 2024, Published 6:15 p.m. ET
Denzel Washington has found himself in the middle of an intense online debate after the actor revealed he was not a fan of a legendary white director.
Frenzied fan reactions were split between support for the star and slams for his perceived stuffiness, RadarOnline.com can report.
The actor seemed to be surprised by the question.
While promoting his latest role in the blockbuster movie Gladiator II, Washington, 69, sat down for an interview with Collider correspondent Steve Weintraub.
The interview got off to a rocky start almost immediately when Weintraub decided to "throw a curveball" at the Oscar-winner and asked him what his favorite Stanley Kubrick movie is.
Kubrick is the legendary director of such cinema classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and Eyes Wide Shut.
Weintraub was even wearing a shirt celebrating Kubrick and his films during his interview with Washington.
Washington was promoting his role in Gladiator II.
But a startled Washington replied none of them, countering that the types of movies he saw as a kid were Blaxploitation films like Shaft and Superfly.
Washington explained: "I'm not a movie buff - no, I'm not a big movie fan. I was in the street when Kubrick was making movies.
"I'd be the one outside looking to rob you when you came out of a Kubrick movie, okay?"
The Equalizer star clarified: "I wasn't a real film buff. I didn't start acting until I was 20 years old and didn't start really going to the movies until I was 20, 22, 23."
Some fans praised him for firing back at the question.
The awkward question about a white director - followed by Washington's praise of Black movies - caused a serious uproar among fans online.
Many users on X slammed Weintraub for what they called an "inappropriate question."
One person railed: "I'M SO GLAD DENZEL DID THIS! He's definitely a movie buff, but what he was really saying was why this man thought he could ask someone like Denzel, who champions Black films, to speak about a white director instead of a Black one."
The user followed that up with another tweet ranting: "White film critics are insufferable this way. The arrogance to be doing press for a film and wear a shirt by another filmmaker ... to quiz the actors about that person's filmography like they're contestants on a game show...they position everything from their very white, and in this case white male perspective."
Another person attacked Weintraub for trying to ask a "gotcha question": "They should have known better than to try it on with Denzel, he never puts up with c---."
Kubrick is the legendary director of movies like 'The Shining.'
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However, others took issue with Washington's response to what they saw as an honest question - and accused the Glory actor of being stuck up.
One person tweeted: "I’m unbelievably disappointed in that answer...why does he seem so pretentious now?
While one person couldn't believe Washington's claim: "So in the last 40 years he's never seen (Kubrick film) The Shining?"
Another user said the Training Day star was purposely "being difficult for the sake of being difficult."
