He is a legendary household name – but it turns out the world has been mispronouncing Denzel Washington‘s first name for the majority of his life.
Washington, 70, revealed how his name’s pronunciation changed when he was a youngster over a decade ago, but reminded viewers about it while chatting on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday.
The pronunciation was altered by his mother, as both Washington and his father share the same first name – leading to some confusion in the household.
The Inside Man star revealed how to properly say his name after Kimmel brought up the amount of NFL players who are also named Denzel.
‘This is how you know they named themselves after me because… my name’s not pronounced Denzel. My name’s pronounced Denzel,’ the legendary actor responded, ending with his name’s accurate pronunciation.
While his name is widely known to be pronounced as ‘Den-zelle’, the original pronunciation is actually ‘Den-zull.’
Denzel Washington revealed the world has been mispronouncing his first name his entire career
‘I’m Denzel Jr. My father’s Denzel Hayes Washington Senior. I’m Denzel Hayes Washington Jr,’ the actor, who was promoting his new film Highest to Lowest, continued. ‘My mother would say “Denzel!” and we both show up. So she said, “From now on, you’re Denzel. That’s how it got pronounced Denzel,’ he said.
‘She said, “You’re Denzel. You’re Denzel, and you’re Denzel.”‘
It’s not the first time Denzel has offered the interesting bit of trivia about his name.
The actor shared the story behind his name during a 2013 appearance on The Graham Norton Show: ‘My mother started calling me Denzel… she’d say “Denzel” and we both would show up.’
Denzel’s pronunciation made headlines several months ago for a different reason.
The actor was ruthlessly roasted online after a resurfaced clip exposed his painfully bad British accent in the 1988 film For Queen and Country.
In the crime drama, the Oscar winner plays a decorated paratrooper discharged from the British military who returns to his old neighborhood in inner-city London.
The viral clip shows Washington’s character being told he ‘no longer has citizen to UK colonies,’ prompting a dramatic response in what many are calling one of the worst attempts at a British accent ever captured on film.
Washington said his name’s pronunciation was tweaked by his mother
The actor and his father share the same first name, prompting his mother to make the change to differentiate the two Denzels in her life
‘But I can die for the United Kingson and colonies, can’t I? You can put me out there as a front gunner to have my bleeding head blown out,’ Denzel says in the clip.
Originally shared under the title, ‘Denzel Washington attempting an English accent is one of the best things I’ve seen in quite some time,’ the video quickly spread across social media — and the dragging was swift.
Denzel admitted the accent was ‘awful’ during a 2014 interview promoting Gladiator II, where he played a Roman emperor with an American accent.
Denzel buried his face in his hands and admitted, ‘That’s the reason I didn’t use an accent in this film.’
With a grin, he added: ‘I was terrible in that. That accent was awful.’
The pronunciation revelation may come as a shock to fans of the legendary star, who is a household name himself ; pictured 1990
Despite the accent blunder, Denzel has remained one of the most beloved stars in showbiz.
But recently he admitted he doesn’t view himself as a ‘Hollywood’ star.
‘What’s the definition of a Hollywood actor? Myself, I’m from Mt. Vernon, so I’m a “Mt. Vernon actor,”’ the entertainment industry icon quipped during an interview on CBS Sunday Morning, referring to his New York hometown.
The John Q star added, ‘I don’t know what “Hollywood” means.’
Washington, who recently starred in the Broadway production of Othello alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, clarified that he’s always considered himself a stage actor first and foremost.
‘I’m a stage actor who does film; it’s not the other way around,’ he explained. ‘I did stage first. I learned how to act on stage, not on film. Movies are a filmmaker’s medium. You shoot it, and then you’re gone, and they cut it together and add music and do all of that. Theater is an actor’s medium. The curtain goes up — nobody can help you.’
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