The next day, however, he heard from his agent: Hed been invited to the St. Louis Rams camp as an undrafted free agent. 'Tenet': John David Washington is Christopher Nolan's new action hero At the age of six, John David made his first on-screen performance . The zombie apocalypse is upon us. A couple weeks in, I was worried, very concerned I wasnt going to be able to finish this thing, and I didnt want to tell anybody because I was like, Oh, I will die for this, Washington says. What's the meaning behind John David Washington being known solely as The Protagonist inTenet? . Its the same one his uncle wore before he died. John David said, "I'm the first kid up." "It still could happen, by the way, you never know," Washington mused. In fact, best to stay clear of "J. Washingtons history as an athlete helped convince Nolan as well. But when I ask him about his dad, he sounds ever so slightly different. The pressure hit for a moment, for those two hours, and then I was back. Washington arrives with no backstory, no deeper motivation, and experiences no personal journey inTenet, other than saving the world. "There was a chore or two.". After some convincing by his agent to head west, plus a desire "to be with my mother, my siblings, the people I love the most," Washington "fled to Los Angeles.". But the young man went to college not based on the celebrity of his parents but rather his athletic ability. The story of the tendon. Denzel said he didnt mind, and Washington gave it a shot. You dont have to go to the monitor to prove to yourself that you did it. It was like a scene straight out of He Got Game, in which his dad played the father of a star basketball prospect. He had to know what was going on.". Taking a typically fresh view, callingTenet's hero "The Protagonist" could be part of the film's overall ethos to be cool without trying to be cool. Why did he make that decision? He learned to spin a yarn from his grandparents, sitting around a fire in their North Carolina yard. And he remembers his dad coming home with a horn from the set of Mo Better Blues, playing all the time, all the time. There was the time his father dyed his black hair a deep red and studied Islam to get into the character of Malcolm X for Spike Lees eponymous 1992 film. He was given another prominent big-screen position this fall when he starred alongside Christian Bale and Margot Robbie in Amsterdam, the antic period caper from the filmmaker David O. Russell. Don't miss Malcolm & Marie, streaming Feb. 5 on Netflix. 2018 marked his breakthrough; he starred as Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, for which he received several industry nominations. These are big-picture, existential questions that Washington may contemplate after The Piano Lesson ends. I will tell you this. I just wanted to blend in. Washington hadnt quite given up on that childhood acting dream, and he thought. Of course, most people in the world recognize John David Washington's dad. I told him I wanted to go study, to go to school for [acting] and he said, 'No, do both. Such is the indignity of life during a pandemic. But Pattillo was confident, flying to Los Angeles from Atlanta to meet Washington and watch him play. Who? He has filled notebooks all over the house. John David Washington Gets an Education in 'The Piano Lesson' Washington said that to him the play conveyed the overwhelming feeling of American societys proprietary entitlement over its history. With a chuckle, he added that it told a relatable story about every family gathering, how theres always that one cousin or family who shows up and its like, oh, here we go.. One Christmas, his dad had his Glory costume, a Union Army Civil War uniform, recut to fit his young son. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}Pedro Pascal Is Joining 'Gladiator 2', The Best, Craziest, Weirdest Moments From Cannes, Celebrities Who've Shaved Their Heads for Roles, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Is Finally Streaming, 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' Sticks the Landing, Damon Lindelof Was 'Asked to Leave' Star Wars, Christopher Nolan Is Hyping Up 'Oppenheimer', Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke Are a Great Cowboy Match, Seeing Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa Will Break Me, 'The Flash' Just Debuted Another Massive Trailer. John David Washington is having a moment. We went berserk, he says. While working out with NFL players and trying to fight his way back, Washington injured himself. But it really hurt that we couldnt give it its proper rollout and world tour.. John David Washington on Beckett and Tenet: 'I became an introvert Christopher Nolan backs John David Washington as Green Lantern After, the two became parents and watched their little boy grow up. I really like John David Washington in everything else I've seen him in, but here I felt they were trying to make him James Bond-ish and it just didn't work for him. I want to get beat up., He added, If I can survive, Im going to be such a better actor than I was before I started this.. "Tenet" star John David Washington reveals his favorite Christopher Nolan film, what it was like working with the legendary director and the pressure he put . Oh, sorry! he says when he notices, then he keeps talking. Curiously,Nolan'sInception could be key to unraveling this mystery. While this would explain why Nolan chose not to give John David Washington's hero a proper name, it doesn't account for why he's openly addressed as The (or, indeeda) Protagonist on-screen. Washington made his breakthrough on the HBO comedy series Ballers (2015-19), playing a hotheaded N.F.L. While injured and trying to figure out what to do next, his friend presented an option. Hes just blossomed, honestly, in the last five years, says Zo Kravitz. But you get the sense hes come out on the other side. . Professionally, Washington spent four years as the running back for the United Football League's Sacramento Mountain Lions. Even so, Washington said he was grateful for the trust Nolan had placed in him and for the chance to help execute Nolans intricate vision. It was like, in the NFL, I felt like I needed to be there every day to keep my job, and I felt the same way about this. And Washington is coming off a Golden Globe nomination for Lees BlacKkKlansman. John David Washington is Christopher Nolan's leading man in "Tenet," but the 36-year-old has had a most unconventional start to his acting career. The Tenet actor, 36 . You might as well have thought we were celebrating like I was the first-round draft pick. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The Ballers star, and son of icons Denzel and Paulina, talks about how his NFL career and movies Malcolm X . It was January, 23, 2019, a day that John David Washington remembers well, because the day before, many of his BlacKkKlansman collaborators received Academy Award nominations. He could use his sociology degree from Morehouse. Anyway, Lee said there was this book he wanted Washington to read. Id never see my brother play football again.. In an interview with The Breakfast Club, the actor revealed that Spike Lee personally encouraged him to act. You cant possess things that way, he said. For John David Washington, one of his earliest memories is with his father, Denzel Washington. Its built up to this moment. The actor took the advice "not to try to imitate or act like him" and instead could "trust [his] instincts." Offers may be subject to change without notice. It was a chance to get back onto a movie set and to remain safely behind the camera. . So he gets to do all kinds of different things. Intelligent enough (or watchedTerminator, either one) to form a time-traveling organization in the future and send his own best friend back to close the causal loop. The film has more action than any film Ive ever done. But you might be surprised by which ones. People have been asking him the same questions about his dad his whole life. #ChristopherNolan, Ludwig Goransson, #JohnDavidWashington, and Travis Scott discuss the creative process behind the song, "The Plan" and how it was incorpora. John David remembered his parents cheering him even as his career changed paths. He made jokes in class and got a little disruptiveenough that his high school art teacher, Elizabeth Tremante, sought the advice of another teacher, a friend of the Washingtons. Celebrity Net Worth clocks John David's net worth at $6 million, and for at least a portion of the pandemic, the 36-year-old actor was able to save on living expenses by crashing at his parents' New York condominium. If that's not all, she was also starring on Broadway at the time when she met Denzel. At no point is he ever referred to in specific terms, and Priya even uses the term "Protagonist" on screen. It took Washington decades to start acting. Dedicated to the job, but not so much that he'll sacrifice his values. ", The Untold Truth Of John David Washington, one of legendary actor Denzel Washington's children. First Look: An Exclusive photo of Washington in Christopher Nolans upcoming, Washington and Nolan discuss a scene in an exclusive behind-the-scenes photo from the set of, Washington and co-star Robert Pattinson in an exclusive first-look photo from, Its an incredibly complicated movie, like all of Chriss movies. And yet Washington, John Davidthe Washington were here to talk about todaywill star in the most anticipated movie of the summer: Christopher Nolans top-secret and most ambitious project yet, Tenet. . John David Washington at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. There were plenty of other things he could do. On the last day, I asked him a question about what was happening in a scene, and it was just so profoundly the wrong take on the character. Picking a name for John David Washington's nu-Bond is inherently tricky; something with an upper class connotation falls too close to Ian Fleming's universe, but a simpler, modern name could be seen as taking cues from Jason Bourne. He played for the California Redwoods and became a starting running back in his second season. [9] It helps with his dyslexia. In rehearsals this fall, Washington said that LaTanya Richardson Jackson advocated the utmost fidelity to Wilsons text. Nolan, who writes many of his films, including Tenet, generally tries not to think about casting while hes writing his scripts. When he was assigned a scene from the Amiri Baraka play Dutchman, he called another family friend for guidance. A moment on pause. As the best running back in the school's history, he decided to enter in the 2006 NFL draft. And he knew his football days were over. Like other celebrities who spent time with family during COVID-19 restrictions, John David Washington joined his family in Los Angeles. If you ask those who knew him best then, theyll tell you JD was a sports fanatic. According to John David, he was five years old at the time and remembered walking with his dad in Manhattan. That was an extraordinary screening, and the audience response to Spikes movie was really electric in that room at Cannes; it was quite something. Washington thought. He rewrites the same words over and over and over. This time, for the movie,Malcolm & Marie. Hed made it on his own merits. Jackson, a longtime family friend, said that when the young man decided to act, we all told him, You cant just step up in there and think its going to happen., Washingtons father gave him advice about acting: He said, Its a full-contact sport, John David., With Christian Bale and Margot Robbie in Amsterdam. Bale said Washington is quietly competitive, but I dont think he likes that to be seen much.. He's starred in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansmen and The Old Man & the Gun, to name a few flicks. Calling Finkelstein was a Hail Mary. When we talk over Zoom in mid-April, hes styled himself in gym shorts, a bandanna with white stars wrapped around his hair, and a long-sleeved black shirt with a sepia photo of his maternal great-grandmother silk-screened onto it. "Yeah," he says laughing. I said every time we get pulled over, this is what the cop sees, Washington says. John David explained in an interview on The Breakfast Club that his mom switched the typical gender roles in their meet-cute. When he began playing football at the end of elementary school, he fell in love with the competition and the attention. This is the reality for John David Washington, one of legendary actor Denzel Washington's children. And here he was, furious at Williams as he watched himself inhabit the man onscreen. For now, he is content to grapple with the day-to-day demands of putting on the play and the pleasures of losing himself in a character who feels diametrically opposed to who he really is. Since his high school days, things seemed to be on the perfect trajectory for John David Washington. The actor made brief cameos as a child in two films starring his father, Denzel Washington. John David Washington Interview: Actor talks Tenet - YouTube JDW? That said, to date, John David Washington's net worth is $6 million. So he pushed it down, focused on football, where a helmet covered his face and where nobody could accuse him of getting anything because of his last name. Though Denzel Washington isn't billionaire Bill Gates rich, he is certainly worth a lot of money. For his part, Denzel is thrilled that his son has followed in his footsteps and is no longer playing professional football. Washington, 36, has previously appeared in BlacKkKlansman and Tenet. The film is the story of two lovers played by Zendaya and John David Washington. As the son of screen legend Denzel Washington, you would think actor John David Washington would be immune to . "Yeah," John David admitted. One pieceinspired by his own drivers license but featuring a character with a full Afro, a gold tooth, a gold chain, and a big earringstands out in his mind still. As the son of Denzel Washington, you might be able to guess where John David Washington grew up: he and his siblings were raised in Los Angeles. "They should reopen the case is what I think," Washington added. "I was on strict dietary restrictions but I was going crazy and I needed my snacks," Washington said . As a child, Washington memorized every line in the 1989 film Glory so that he could act out the parts Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, and his father played. And because of the difference in on-screen experience, Washington revealed, "I'm learning from her. John David admitted to Vanity Fair, "I knew every one of my father's lines in Glory." No one who could perform this magic trick, acting, quite like him. I can die now.. But unlike in those early weeks at Morehouse, he couldnt escape his last name. Spike Lee sat behind Christopher Nolan. It meant having people listen for your dads voice when you spoke, look for his face in yours. Article continues below . ", Even with a celebrity dad, things weren't always easy for the young John David. You done got found out, bruh, a friend shouted. B." Now that he could no longer play professionally, there was nothing stopping him. John David Washington's career path could not have been further from his father's. The headline began with his fathers name. He is also, of course, a son of Denzel Washington, the decorated actor and filmmaker. And LaTanya told me not to talk to him about Boy Willie anyway she didnt want me putting my ideas in his head., In their work on the play, Jackson said he had already seen Washington grow as an actor. I used to lie, saying he was a construction worker or in jail, just to have some sense of normalcy," he confessed to Mr. Porter. In an interview for The Breakfast Club, the actor revealed he had been in two prior relationships. With John David, its taken off quickly because hes really good, and because he studies the art form, and because he really is submerging himself into the character.. It has a plethora of action sequences that hes taken the lead in. When youre doing them, I mean, there were months at a time where Im like, Am I. Aug 27, 2020, 7:25 AM. And I just felt a sort of magnetism there. Washington read the book, not quite understanding why. He says hes got to get ready for dinner; its his twin siblings birthday, and hes getting dressed up in a suit and tie (and bare feet) to eat with themtheyre quarantined togetherand theyll be having Paulettas famous mac and cheese. He has a really impeccable sense of a moment, and when something is happening, when something magical is happening. As recounted by GQ, he appeared as "a boy holding a toy rifle." To demonstrate the noise, John David Washington juts his two front teeth toward his iPad and balances the screen with one hand. Washington, formerly a professional football player and popular for movies such as Spike Lee's BlackKklansman and Monster, plays the main lead in Nolan's new movie. . He also gushed about how proud he was that his eldest made it to Hollywood on his own, where he first broke into the biz with his role, fittingly, as a football star Ricky Jerret on Ballers. Europe and U.F.L. Besides seeing the power of his father's gift in acting, it was also one of the rare times that he and his father were together "unbothered on the streets. After landing the breakout role as Ricky Jerret in HBO's hit series Ballers, in 2015, Washington went on to star in five major motion pictures from 2017 to 2018. Amsterdam was a critical and commercial flop, none of which mattered to Washington, who came away with one of his most treasured memories as an actor. Another crucial opportunity came when Lee chose him to star as the police detective Ron Stallworth in BlacKkKlansman, released in 2018. 'Tenet' Review: A Film Chiefly For Christopher Nolan's - Deadline . What he told me. Watching himself up there, seeing his character lie about his colleagues to protect his son and wife, Washington was disturbed. "When I got to meet him, he showed us his Ku Klux Klan membership card and it really brought it home, feeling the weight of that. I dont want to give it away, but I just think its some of the most brilliant acting Ive ever seen. Like everyone else, hes been watching Tiger King lately: Im really curious about what happened to old girls husband. . Oh, very much, he says. John David Washington Talks Living at Home Again with Dad Denzel - People But now, this time, hes telling John Davids story. This is a master class. Washingtons BlacKkKlansman character, Stallworth, is at turns earnest and snarky as he sits for long phone conversations with Topher Graces David Duke. The men who lead Nolans films are superstars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Matthew McConaughey. I could be a coach, I could be a teacher, I could do that. John David even admitted that he keeps "a batch chilling in the freezer of his rented L.A. digs" for comfort food on demand. An agent known only as The Protagonist ( John David Washington) is recruited into a top-secret mission to prevent WWIII. Christopher Nolan Caught John David Washington With Snacks - Insider By the way, it was a pretty intense experience to sit in front of Spike Lee at the premiere. July 28, 2013. If his language is full of vivid, brutal metaphors, it might be because Washington is a former football player a relentless running back for the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers and later for the St. Louis Rams, as well as teams in the now-defunct N.F.L. Because were both stuck inside weeks into the COVID-19 quarantine, we talk over Zoom. Both characters are big departures from the sitcommy Ricky Jerret. "I literally left New York thinking, 'Well, this is I Am Legend about to happen. A part of me felt like it got shot and killed, it got assassinated. We wrap up our Zoom call, an awkward thing to do with someone with whom youve spent hours discussing every detail of their life but whom you may never talk to again. With that kind of money, John David Washington certainly doesn't need to worry much about finances. I love Denzel, thoughI dont want that to sound like whatever, I love Denzelbut what I got out of that relationship, that movie, was John David, says, Washington as Ricky Jerret in an episode of HBOs, Alongside Dwayne The Rock Johnson in an episode of, Washington as undercover cop Ron Stallworth in Spike Lees. I was just so pleased that he had something that would take his mind off his injury, Pauletta says. "I saw how people changed when they found out who my father was. Finkelstein had heard from casting director Sheila Jaffe, who remembered reading somewhere that one of Denzels sons played football, and she was wondering if he was still playingor if just maybe hed be interested in talking about this role she had on an HBO show about pro football players? Don't miss the big stories. He got into SATC when he was in the NFL, buying the pink book with the full series on DVD. JD? "She makes the best mac and cheese on the planet, and I need to know how to make it," he admitted while adding, "goals for real." But then I thought, Ah, but John David actually did know.
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