Denzel Washington Reveals Horrific Drugs and Booze Battle: 'I Shot Dope and Downed Two Bottles of Vintage Wine a Day… I've Done a Lot of Damage'
Denzel Washington opened up about his earlier struggles with alcohol.
Nov. 20 2024, Published 12:15 p.m. ET
Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington admits he wrecked his body downing two bottles of wine a day before finally kicking the habit.
With his 70th birthday just around the corner, Washington revealed he fought a long battle with alcohol before embracing a sober lifestyle in the last decade, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Oscar-winning actor admitted to downing multiple bottles of wine a day before getting sober.
The Equalizer star confessed his costly routine began after he developed a fondness for fine wines, which started when he added a wine cellar to his family home.
He told Esquire: "Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow. It ain’t like, boom, all of a sudden. I never got strung out on heroin.
"Never got strung out on coke. Never got strung out on hard drugs. I shot dope just like they shot dope, but I never got strung out."
Washington stars in the new 'Gladiator II' film alongside Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal.
The actor added: "And I never got strung out on liquor. I had this ideal idea of wine tastings and all that – which is what it was at first. And that’s a very subtle thing.
"I mean, I drank the best … I learned to drink the best [when we added the wine cellar]. So I’m gonna drink my ’61s and my ’82s and whatever we had. Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left."
While Washington – who stars in the new Gladiator II film – admitted to drinking up to two bottles per day, he said he would never indulge while working.
He explained: "I never drank while I was working or preparing. I would clean up, go back to work – I could do both. However many months of shooting, bang, it’s time to go. Then, boom. Three months of wine, then time to go back to work."
Washington admitted he would never drink alcohol while working.
Washington later admitted that his drinking took a toll on his health, but he’s optimistic that a decade of sobriety will help him enjoy a long, healthy life.
He added: "I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean. Things are opening up for me now – like being 70.
"It’s real. And it’s OK. This is the last chapter – if I get another thirty, what do I want to do? My mother made it to ninety-seven. I’m doing the best I can."
Gladiator II, which releases in theaters on Friday, stars Washington as Macrinus – a former slave turned powerbroker who runs a stable of gladiators and aims to become the Roman emperor.
The actor is reunited with director Ridley Scott on the sequel, which also stars Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, after their work together on 2007's American Gangster.
He holds the record as the African American actor with the most Oscar nominations ever, with 10 in total across all categories.
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It was Scott's involvement that convinced the Malcolm X star to sign up, which has proven to be a savvy move – as Washington is now being touted for another Oscar for his role in the film.
Washington previously snagged the Academy Award in 1990 for his Supporting Actor role in Glory, as well as in 2002 for his Leading Actor role in Training Day.
He holds the record as the African American actor with the most Academy Award nominations ever, with 10 in total across all categories.
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