Denzel Washington’s accent has caused quite a stir among fans awaiting the release of Gladiator 2, but the screen legend has a pretty good explanation for it.
The 69-year-old Oscar winner will return to the big screen this winter in the blockbuster sequel to Sir Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic, starring alongside Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal.
He appears as Macrinus, a former slave from North Africa who plans to take control of Rome and is a ruthless mentor to Lucius (Mescal).
However, when the trailer for Gladiator 2 was released this summer, fans couldn’t stop talking about Denzel’s accent, which is, well, his normal American accent.
Giving a valid reason why he chose not to adopt an accent from an African region, or even an English accent, as much of the cast did, he said, “Well, the question was, where are we? Whose accent would that be? What does that even sound like?”
Speaking to Empire, he added: “Ultimately, you’re imitating someone and you end up with a terrible African accent.”
Responding to Denzel’s accent, or lack thereof, when the trailer was released in July, @alexarecommends on X wrote: “Denzel Washington, like other great actors before him, including Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier, decided that the character’s accent is the one he has.”
@MattZeitlin admired Denzel’s choice, saying, “Kudos to Denzel Washington for not putting on an accent and acting and sounding like a corrupt Yonkers cop.”
@JaFleuTheArtist came to the “Training Day” star’s aid, chiming in: “Imagine criticizing DENZEL WASHINGTON for his accent in a movie that takes place in a room where everyone *looks* speaks ENGLISH.”
“I love how everyone in the trailer has a British accent and Denzel still sounds like a local guy,” joked @BrujaBanton.
Denzel’s accent wasn’t the only topic of conversation ahead of Gladiator 2, as fans also can’t believe how youthful he looks in the trailer, sparking rumors that he was rejuvenated in the film.
@Rihanatsona previously wrote on X: “I don’t know how to act😫. A 60+ year old man is the oldest and hottest man in this movie.”
Reddit user CalendarAggressive11 wrote: “This man is aging like the finest wine.”
Fans should enjoy Denzel on their screens while they can, as the actor also said there are “only a few films” he is interested in at the moment.
“I have to be inspired by the filmmaker and Ridley has inspired me enormously. We had a great performance the first time and now we are here. He is committed. He is excited about life and his next film. He is an inspiration. We should all want to feel that way at 86,” he added to Empire.
Gladiator 2 will be in theaters on November 15th.
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