Denzel Washington reveals he cried when he first saw Black Panther

Despite being in films playing a corrupt cop, a drug kingpin, and an intoxicated airline pilot, Denzel Washington isn’t shy to admit he’s a shed a tear or two

The actor said the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther actually made him cry. Talking to JOE, the multiple Academy Award-winning star, known for films like Training Day, Man on Fire and Malcolm X, compared the number of black actors in the Marvel film to the pioneering performances of Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor in 1964. Washington said: "I was like ‘Man, look at these young boys… [from] Sidney, to now?" He saw Black Panther at a screening with director Ryan Coogler and T'Challa himself, Chadwick Boseman, and he said just watching the film made him look back on his whole career. "The 40 years I’ve been in the game came back to me." Clearly affected by the film's success, Washington says he felt like he was in "the gap" between Poitier' groundbreaking performances, and the younger stars of Black Panther. "I felt like the third leg of the relay race," he continued. "I ran behind them. I'm still running, but I was like 'Man, they've gone...'" https://twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/1032287460552859648 Promoting his new film Equalizer 2, Denzel Washington was also asked what his first memory of acting was. He revealed he trained his acting skills on his own mother when sneaking back home late as a youngster. Washington was scared of the beats his mum would give him, but despite this, he stayed out with his friends at a construction site and played late into the night. Some quick-thinking at his front door and some questionable acting ensured that the actor did not get into trouble for coming home later than he was allowed. "Either that or I was so bad… my mother said, 'This fool. He thinks he got away with that?!'", the actor laughed.