Some people openly embrace being reduced to a meme — most notably Drake. Denzel Washington is 61 years old and has inhabited the lives of a former slave, a civil rights leader, and a heroin dealer up in ’70s Harlem. He doesn’t have time for your shit.
You might recall that Denzel Washington became a meme when he was seen at May 2015’s Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao “fight.” He showed up not as the magnificent brother that he is; rather, he was in a getup that resembles your uncle who works as a car mechanic. Thus, he became “Uncle Denzel.”
“Aye pretty lady..when you gon’ stop messin’ with deez boys, and let a real playa treat ya right?” pic.twitter.com/Hx8lYytvZm
— Shana (@SOCRATEZ1920) May 3, 2015
It turned out the facial scruff was the look for his role in the upcoming remake of The Magnificent Seven (principal photography commenced May 18, two weeks after the fight). The western flick, which comes out September 23, will be Washington’s first feature role since the meme (his turn in 2014’s The Equalizer was his most recent work). So, the reclusive star finally got a chance to address his becoming an internet punchline while doing the standard press run for Magnificent Seven. Global Grind‘s BlogXilla had the unenviable honor of taking part in the exchange and receiving Washington’s straightfaced, overly serious response.
“Those who can, do,” Washington says in a clip released on Wednesday. “Those who can’t do talk about those who can. Now can you or can you not? Or are you just one that sits on the sideline to talk about other people or can you step up?”
Of course, these aren’t original Washingtonian psalms; they’re a self-righteous spin on the known idiom, “Those who can, do / Those who can’t, teach.” Washington’s version makes a fire meme, though.
Watch the interview below.
For all those who laughed at “Uncle Denzel” Mr. Washington has a message he wants me to give to you. #Mag7 pic.twitter.com/9kOVbQ3kXQ
— The Almighty Xilla (@BlogXilla) September 14, 2016