Denzel Washington Recalls King Charles’ Frank Opinion of His Movies During First Meeting
Denzel Washington has been a movie star for decades, but he just recently met King Charles for the first time—and things didn't exactly go as planned.
During a Nov. 18 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the 69-year-old actor opened up about what happened when he was introduced to the monarch on the red carpet of the recent Gladiator II premiere in London.
“They got all these rules about ‘you can’t be too close,’ ‘let them speak first,’ ‘don’t shake hands,’” Denzel said. “I forgot it all. I forgot everything.”
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“It’s good to be king,” he continued. “That was my first king that I remember. He said he loved all my movies.”
After Jimmy Kimmel asked if the royal had actually seen all of Washington's films, the Training Day star insisted, “That’s what he said—all of them.”
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Meeting King Charles wasn't a huge deal for all of the Gladiator II cast members, however.
“It’s definitely not something I thought was in the bingo cards,” Paul Mescal told Variety. “I’m Irish, so it’s not on the list of priorities but it’s an amazing thing for Ridley because I know how important that is for him. So, to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special," he continued, referencing Gladiator II director Ridley Scott.
Mescal didn't have a particularly in-depth conversation with King Charles, he added.
“You just kind of nod along,” he said. “I found it hard to hear exactly what he was saying because your head is in such a kind of frenzy so you’re just kind of nodding along and smiling."
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