Denzel Washington says he was bitter after losing Oscar to Kevin Spacey: ‘Pity’

About to turn 70, Denzel Washington recalled a bitterness he carried for years regarding the Oscars. In 2000, he and Kevin Spacey competed in the best actor category for the films “Hurricane” and “American Beauty”, respectively, and his colleague won.

“I have a memory of turning around and looking at him, and everyone was looking at me or maybe that’s how I perceived it. I’m pretty sure I went home and drank that night. I had to,” he said in an interview with American magazine Esquire.

The actor stated that, for years, he stopped voting in the award categories because he considered it not important for the Academy.

“I gave up. I was bitter. My pity party. For about fifteen years, from 1999 to 2014, when I stopped drinking, I was bitter. I don’t even know offhand what movies I did back then.”

Despite losing the Oscar, Denzel won the Golden Globe for his performance in the same film. But, in the interview, he recalls that it was something that almost made no difference in the context of the time.

“I think I won the Golden Globe for ‘Hurricane’. See, I barely remember now, isn’t that crazy?” he commented.

In the same report, the actor, who is promoting the film “Gladiator 2”, said he had used drugs and alcohol in the past, but had not consumed anything for a decade. For him, the most dangerous drink was wine.

“It’s a very slow, subtle drink. I was never addicted to alcoholic beverages. Wine was my thing,” he said. He added: “I was never addicted to heroin. I was never addicted to cocaine. I was never addicted to hard drugs.”