Denzel Washington’s son has spoken of feeling the need to “protect” himself as his father’s career skyrocketed and his fame increased.

Before becoming a movie star, John David Washington was a football player and spent four years as a running back for the United Football League team Sacramento Mountain Lions. Turning to acting, he secured a lead role in an HBO comedy series Baller (2015-2019) before gaining widespread attention for his role in Spike Lee’s 2018 film BlackKkKlansman.

During a recent appearance at the Happy, sad, confused On the podcast, the younger Washington was asked by host Josh Horowitz if delaying his acting career was an “act of rebellion” given his family background.

“You know, my dad’s gotten really popular, man. He’s the man,” replied John David Washington, 40. “Malcolm X Hit (1992) and my life changed.

“I remember when he practiced he brought home a trumpet Mo’ Better Blues (1990). I remember him dying his hair red when he was preparing for these roles and I always loved it.”

“He took me around New York and spit out Richard III lines (for the stage production). The Tragedy of Richard III) because he sang a song with the tights and the mullet. You know, it was a magic trick: “He doesn’t talk like that in the house – and look at him now!” So that’s what it was always about for me.

“But as he grew, I felt like my world and my relationship to it changed. People changed how they treated me. So I felt the need to protect myself and find my identity.” . So I found it through sports.

“So I thought maybe I would rather get into art or acting because I want them to know me from some other work, but I had to go through what I did football-wise first. But I think things changed after that Malcolm X.”

John David Washington further revealed that when he decided to pursue a career in acting, he confided in his mother, Pauletta Washington, an accomplished stage and screen actress who attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Juilliard School and the Juilliard School studied at the University of North Texas.

“I definitely told her first,” said the younger Washington, whose three siblings also work in the entertainment industry. “I didn’t tell my dad until I booked Baller.”

However, his mother’s support of his acting endeavors also meant that he had a coach to keep him on his toes. This, he said, has continued to this day, with his mother taking notes on his Broadway debut in the 2022 revival of the August Wilson play The piano lesson. He also starred in the 2024 film adaptation.

“My mother and I, we recited the lines. She’s like an acting coach in a way,” said John David Washington. “In every script I get, which I usually do, we perform lines and she gives me the sharpest notes. She also gave me so many notes for the piece. I think we’ll just go to dinner and talk about the week and how I’ve been doing. By the way, she saw it five times this week. And she says, “So, John David, do you want to order the ribs?”

“I mean, I love it,” he added, with his mother’s guiding hand. “She cares deeply about her. In a way, I felt like I was representing them too and talking about pressure. Because, you know, she has her master’s degree in the arts.”

Ultimately, John David Washington has no regrets about becoming an actor. “I love football. I definitely needed football,” he said. “But… I’ve never felt more alive (acting).”