Denzel Washington doesn't care about awards, admits he 'shouldn't have won' some: 'I don't do it ...

Washington added in a new interview that &34;man gives the award, God gives the reward,&34; and that awards won't do him any good when he dies. Denzel Washingto

Washington added in a new interview that "man gives the award, God gives the reward," and that awards won't do him any good when he dies.

Denzel Washington doesn't care about awards, admits he 'shouldn't have won' some: 'I don't do it for Oscars'

Washington added in a new interview that "man gives the award, God gives the reward," and that awards won't do him any good when he dies.

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Published on August 14, 2025 10:54AM EDT

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Denzel Washington accepts his Oscar at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002. Credit:

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty

- Two-time Oscar-winning Hollywood icon Denzel Washington admitted he doesn't care about Oscars.**

- "Man gives the award, God gives the reward," the 70-year-old *Highest 2 Lowest* star said.

- Washington suggested that his Oscars won't save him from death.

Denzel Washington has two Oscars after 10 career nominations across a range of different categories at the Academy Awards, but he actually doesn't care that much about them.

In a recent interview alongside costar Jeffrey Wright for their upcoming Spike Lee drama *Highest 2 Lowest* — a new interpretation of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 classic *High and Low* — the 70-year-old Hollywood icon admitted that he's not concerned with the industry's obsession with awards.

"I don't do it for Oscars, I really don't care about that kind of stuff," Washington said on *Jake's Takes*. "I've been at this a long time. There's times I won and shouldn't have won...and didn't win and should've won — man gives the award, God gives the reward."

Denzel Washington in 'Highest 2 Lowest'.

The awards body in question has ultimately given Washington a pair of Oscars for his career's work, including his notable Best Actor victory for* Training Day* in 2002 that came after he won Best Supporting Actor for *Glory* in 1990.

Washington continued, telling the host that he's "not that interested in Oscars," and that he frequently fields questions about his statuettes.

"People ask, 'Where do you keep it?' I say, 'Next to the other one,'" Washington joked. "I'm not bragging, I'm just telling you how I feel about it. On my last day, they won't do me a bit of good!"

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The moderator observed, "I don't think God asks how many Oscars you have," to which Washington quipped, "He might go, 'That's why I gave you an extra week.'"

While Washington's focus might not be on producing quality work in pursuit of Hollywood accolades, the star is still one of the most vital presences in the film industry, with sustained success across his multi-decade career.

His victory for *Glory* also made Oscars history, as he became only the second Black actor to win Best Supporting Actor in the category (following the late Louis Gossett, Jr.'s win for *An Officer and a Gentleman*) and the first Black actor to score two career nominations in the bracket.**

Denzel Washington in 'Highest 2 Lowest'.

His win for*Training Day* over a decade later also made significant strides for representation at the Oscars. The victory made him the first Black actor to win in more than one competitive category, the only Black actor to have won in both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, and, coupled with Halle Berry's victory for *Monster's Ball* that same year, made 2002 the first year that a Black actor and actress won in both lead categories at the same ceremony.

Outside of his recognition for acting, Washington has additionally scored a Best Picture nomination for his work as a producer on the 2016 August Wilson adaptation *Fences*.

His most recent nod at the Oscars is for 2021's *The Tragedy of Macbeth*, for which he received his seventh nomination for Best Actor.

Berry has also questioned the importance of the Oscars in the past, with the actress asking in the 2025 documentary *Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood *if her historic win impacted the future of representation at the Oscars.

"It's forced me to ask myself, did it matter?" she said in the doc, referencing the fact that only six additional Black women have followed her the 23 years since she won Best Actress, namely Gabourey Sidibe, Viola Davis (two times), Quvenzhané Wallis, Ruth Negga, Cynthia Erivo (twice), and Andra Day. "Did it really change anything for women of color? For my sisters? For our journey?"

***Sign up for **'s free daily newsletter* *to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.***

*Highest 2 Lowest* enters theatrical release on Friday, before its Sept. 5 streaming premiere on Apple TV+.

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