Denzel Washington: Actor Turned "Prophet"
Two-time academy award winner Denzel Washington has been one of Hollywood's hottest leading men for almost three decades. Now he's back in theaters starring in "The Book of Eli."
Washington sat down with Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith to talk about his latest role as Eli in an American post-apocalyptic thriller.
In "The Book of Eli," Washington plays a prophet, who is carrying the last known copy of the bible. He goes on a journey across America by foot, and must protect the sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.
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Smith, who said he enjoyed seeing the film, told Washington, "I thought to myself if somebody had sent me an engraved invitation to the post-apocalyptic world and they said they could take one person with you, it would be you."
"Or Eli. Don't take me, take Eli, and take some water, too!" Washington joked.
In the film, the survivors are in a dire situation.
"Finding an item like a little bottle of shampoo or a Kentucky fried chicken wet nap was major, you know," Washington said.
Ironically, in real life Washington encountered a woman at his church who told him of a similar type of prophecy. He told Smith about it in an earlier interview.
"And I thought, oh, my lord. Here he is, on the screen, fulfilling the prophecy the woman from the church from four years ago," Smith said.
"I'm not preaching, but, yeah," Washington said.
In the film, Washington hears voices.
"And it's a battle of good and evil. Carnegie played brilliantly by Gary Oldman," he said. "So he wants the book to manipulate. He has a local town and he wants to manipulate the people and he finds out I have it."
Washington's son, John David Washington, who is the co-producer of the film, was the most instrumental in suggesting Washington make this movie.
"I was really interested in the story, but he stayed on top of it and he was doing notes and he was talking to me about it. He talked me into 'Training Day' and 'American Gangster,' so I'm listening to him," he said.
"He (John David) knows movies. My kids watch 50 times more movies than I do. They see everything -- (they're) movie buffs. And Alan Hughes, one of the directors, said 'your son is as keen as any producer yet he still feels like, thinks like a 12-year-old audience member. Which is what you want,'" Washington explained.
There's no doubt that Washington's son has got the hunger for the movie industry.
But will Washington step aside for his son and stop acting?
According to Smith, he read rumors that Washington may retire.
"Really? Ever? I've got bills to pay," Washington joked.
Washington, who got his start in theater, isn't showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon.
He has started rehearsing for his role of Troy Wilson in a revival of August Wilson's "Fences" on Broadway in March. Washington will take on the same role as actor James Earl Jones once took on in 1987.
"I started off right up the block here at Lincoln Center. And that's what I always wanted to do. Now that all the kids are out of the house, our babies are now freshmen in college, everybody's away and we bought a place here, now I can get back what I want to do," he said.
"You are seeing as prime a piece of theatrical real estate as possible," said Smith of the Broadway play, "Fences."
Washington will have a 14-week run on Broadway.