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Denzel Washington in an interview with the Siriusxm Raiode in New York in November 2024.
CULTURE – In the time of Instagram, Tiktok, X and all media, Denzel Washington is not afraid to cringe. The star of Highest 2 Lowest De Spike Lee reaffirmed in an interview his lack of interest in “Cancel Culture”. The actor with the many statuettes is not the only one to have this clear opinion on the question, but has forgotten a crucial aspect of the problem.
The actor, awarded to the last Golden Globes for his role in Gladiator II, expressed himself filter in an interview with the magazine Complex. Answering the question of whether he had ” fear “ or not to be one day « cancel » Denzel Washington has not procrastinated. “But what does that mean, in fact, to be” Cancel “? »» he replied.
When the journalist told him that it is a matter of – in summary – to lose public support for problematic acts, the 70 -year -old actor replied from TAC: ” Who has something to do? And since when is public support so important? »» More broadly, the star of Training Day Then claimed to have no interest in the system of “followers” – especially on social networks – and that one could not ” guide and follow ” at the same time.
Stars and “Cancel Culture”
Denzel Washington is not the first film star of this stature to express herself loud and clear against “Cancel Culture”. Sharon Stone had for example advanced in the show Just Jenny that it was “ The most stupid imaginable thing ». Alec Baldwin had claimed, as the Daily Mailthat she ” creates more problems than it solves ». Many others, like Jennifer Aniston, Bryan Cranston, Kelly Rowland also spoke to highlight the difficulty of sailing in the entertainment industry with this new data, but also the importance of the nuance.
« Is redemption impossible? I don’t know. But I don’t put everyone in the same basket as Harvey Weinstein “The actress said Friends, As the Washington Magazinepointing to certain drifts of a divisive system.
The very term “Cancel Culture” is not unanimous. For some, it is a question of targeting personalities with objectively discriminatory words and affecting the dignity of certain communities to limit the propagation of their hateful messages. This is the case for example of the British author JK Rowling, who has multiplied for several years transphobic remarks.
For others, it is a question, in the post-#metoo era, of targeting personalities accused of sexual, conjugal or psychological violence, often before even a trial took place. Hence the accusations of “Drifts” of a “Cancel Culture” which ” Do not forgive the slightest gap or the slightest error As Bryan Cranston pointed out.
Denzel Washington without filter
Returning to the term “cancel” that initiated the question, Denzel Washington even went even further “You cannot be” Cancel “if you have not joined anything. So don’t adhere! »»added the actor, Before laughing. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m starting to hurt my chest. When we talk about that, it tightens in there. »»
By saying that, Denzel Washington forgets an essential aspect of the subject. Himself, a multi-reaches actor entered the history of the Golden Globes by being the most named black actor at the Golden Globes, is a model for several generations. If “Cancel Culture” only affects public figures, it is that they have a priori a “duty” of representativeness and exemplarity, especially during their public speeches widely relayed on the Internet and in the media.
And even if he does not have social networks and makes fun of who “follows” him, he cannot ignore that it is precisely the public who decides or not to wear a film at the top of the box office. Or not.