Denzel Washington may soon call cut on his acting career.
The two-time Oscar winner said in a new interview, he has little interest in taking on additional roles, unless he’s “inspired” by the project.
“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker,” the actor recently told Empire magazine.
One film that got his attention was Ridley Scott’s upcoming Gladiator II sequel.
“I was tremendously inspired by Ridley,” Washington explained.
Related: ‘Gladiator II’ Trailer – Denzel Washington Vows to Control an Empire
Washington, 69, said he jumped at the chance to join Scott after previously working with the director on the 2007 drama, American Gangster.
“We had a great go-round the first go-round, and here we are,” Washington said. “He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration… we should all want to feel like that at 86.”
Washington has been acting since the 1970s.
In addition to his breakout role on the TV series St. Elsewhere in the ’80s, he’s starred in a long list of hit films including — but not limited to — The Equalizer franchise, Unstoppable, The Book of Eli, The Taking of Pelham 123, Inside Man, Training Day, Déjà Vu, Crimson Tide, and Man on Fire.
Ridley Scott’s late brother, Tony Scott, directed Washington in Crimson Tide, Unstoppable, The Taking of Pelham 123, Déjà Vu, and Man on Fire.
Meanwhile, Washington has recently been spotted filming the upcoming Spike Lee thriller High and Low. The two are longtime collaborators and previously worked together on Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man.
Washington has also directed several films himself, including the Oscar-winning Fences, The Great Debaters, and Antwone Fisher.
Next up, he’s producing Netflix’s The Piano Lesson starring his son, John David Washington.
The film follows an African-American family during the Great Depression and their ties to a piano handed down from their ancestors.
Based on a 1987 play by August Wilson, the writer of Fences, the movie adaptation marks the feature directorial debut of Denzel’s son Malcolm Washington.
The Piano Lesson arrives in select theaters on Nov. 8 and will make its way to Netflix on Nov. 22.
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