BeatBoxBetty Interviews Denzel Washington about his role in John Q

BETTY: Let's just go for broke here so to speak - how hard is it for a man of your wealth and notoriety to relate to this character?
DENZEL: All you got to do is think back. I still have my unemployment books and I remember when I worked for the sanitation department and the post office. But I really relate to him as a parent. If you're about to lose your child and there's nothing you can do about it - the pain won't go away with any amount of money.

BETTY: Fair enough. But would you go to the same extremes as John Q. does? I mean, the man does end up holding a hospital hostage.
DENZEL: I wouldn't do what he did and I don't think what he did was right. But it's a movie, so everything's heightened. The stakes are higher. In real life he would've gotten 25 years.

BETTY: Not that you have to worry, but what are your thoughts on health care in this country?
DENZEL: I don't think a national health care system will be the solution. But as we all know, there are obviously a lot of people who fall between the cracks in the system we have now. It needs to be figured out, but it's not going to be an easy fix.

Denzel & Kimberly Elise star in New Line Cinema's JOHN Q.

BETTY: You mentioned that you worked in sanitation. Where were you in your life when you began that career?
DENZEL: There's good money in sanitation. I must've been 19 or 20 years old and the driver was making close to $50 - $60 a day. Then I moved up to "haulage" which is where the real money is. You'd get odd jobs while you had the truck and catch a few extra bucks.

You see, sanitation is the opposite of the post office. In sanitation they give you eight hours worth of work and if you work hard, you can finish it in three. At the post office, they give you three hours of work, and you try to make it last eight hours! [Laughs] I've done both, so I know!

BETTY: You've already been nominated for a Golden Globe for "Training Day" and there's buzz that Oscar's in your future as well. Are you at all nervous or do these things lose their frightening appeal after a while?
DENZEL: [Laughs] You know, life is good. To be nominated… and I just directed my first film and I've got this great new movie [John Q.]. I'm just enjoying life. I'm not overly excited about any part of it and I'm not overly confident about any of it. I'm just glad to be a part of it all.

BETTY: What's it like being a director after acting has taken up so much of your life?
DENZEL: Whew, now that's a real job. They say it's like a thousand crows all pecking at you at the same time. But I liked directing and I hope I can continue for the rest of my life.

BETTY: Any desire to be in front and behind the camera at the same time?
DENZEL: No. I don't like that part of it - and I won't do that again. The kind of actor I am… it takes too much concentration. It's too distracting.

BETTY: So many actors and directors talk about the one big movie they saw as a kid that gave them the film bug. Do you remember which movie really made you want to get into show business?
DENZEL: My father was a minister so we weren't really allowed to go to the movies. All I saw then was "King of Kings" and "101 Dalmations" and maybe "The Sound of Music." All I remember is seeing her coming over that hill and singing, "The hills are alive…" Once I got out of the house I'd see "Shaft" and "Superfly." When I was running with my buddies, we all wanted to be Shaft because there weren't a lot of people up on the screen that looked like us.

BETTY: Did you see the version of "Shaft" with Samuel L. Jackson?
DENZEL: No, because it couldn't be better than the original. I just wanted Shaft to be Shaft [played by Richard Roundtree].

In JOHN Q. - Denzel plays a poor father who's pushed to his limits

BETTY: At this point in your career, what validates the work for you? Is it what people say about your films or what you feel inside?
DENZEL: I work hard for the audience. It's entertainment and I understand that. I don't need validation. You get a feeling of what's going on out there through reviews, but I try to work hard and just give the people their money's worth.

BETTY: Does the sheer volume of work that you've done ever blow you away?
DENZEL: It's adding up! I look back and say, "I've been in some good movies!" A lot of movies too!

BETTY: Is there any movies in that long list that you regret doing?
DENZEL: Yeah. [Laughs] But I'm not going to tell you! That's not fair to the directors. Sure, there has been a couple of gobblers.

BETTY: Was there ever a point where you just wanted to stop? Was there a moment where you said to yourself, "I don't want to be doing this forever"?
DENZEL: I've already been at that place. The last few years I've been saying that I was ready to quit. It wasn't that interesting to me - but I had some interesting roles to do. Now that I'm directing, it's all new again. In any profession it gets to be a grind. I just needed to do something fresh.

BETTY: So what do you do outside of the entertainment business that keeps life fresh for you?
DENZEL: I go to football games with my kids. Basically, I'm a driver and assistant coach! Acting is just making a living. But my kids… my kids are my life.

Related Link: Check out Betty's Interview with
Denzel Washington in THE HURRICANE!