John David Washington, son of Hollywood legend Denzel Washington, recently shared candid insights about navigating life as his father's fame skyrocketed in the early 1990s.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 40-year-old actor revealed how his father's rising stardom, particularly after 1992's "Malcolm X," prompted him to seek his own identity through sports rather than immediately following his father's footsteps into acting.
"My dad got really popular... he's the man," John David reflected. "After Malcolm X hit, my life changed." He described how people's treatment of him shifted as his father's celebrity status grew, creating a need to establish his own path.
Before launching his acting career, John David spent four years as a running back for the Sacramento Mountain Lions in the United Football League. This career choice served as a way to forge his own identity separate from his father's legacy.
The younger Washington kept his eventual transition to acting private, first confiding in his mother, Pauletta Washington - herself an accomplished performer. "I didn't tell my dad until I booked Ballers," he admitted, referring to his breakthrough role in the HBO series.
His mother has remained a steadfast supporter and critic, often serving as an informal acting coach. "She's giving me the harshest notes," John David shared, describing how his mother would provide detailed feedback even during casual dinner conversations about his Broadway performances.
Now established in his own right with acclaimed performances in productions like "BlacKkKlansman" and "The Piano Lesson," John David expresses no regrets about his circuitous path to acting. "I love football. I needed football, for sure," he reflected, "But I never felt more alive [acting]."
The actor's early memories include watching his father prepare for iconic roles, remembering him practicing trumpet for "Mo' Better Blues" and reciting Shakespeare in New York City - experiences he describes as "magic tricks" that showed him the transformative power of acting.