In a conversation with Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, Denzel Washington vented about the fact that many people mispronounce his name.
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The actor spoke about the pronunciation while discussing with the host NFL players who share the same name.
“That’s how you know they named themselves after me. My name is not pronounced ‘DEN-zel,’” revealed the “Malcolm X” star.
Denzel Washington said the correct pronunciation is to shorten the second syllable, sounding something like “DEN-zuhl.” He explained that his mother started pronouncing his name that way to differentiate him from his father.
“My father is Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. I’m Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. My mom would say ‘Denzel,’ and we’d both show up,” he said, as the audience laughed.
“So she said: ‘From now on, you’re Denzel,’” he recalled, using the pronunciation by which he became known. “That’s how we got to Denzel.”
There are four players named Denzel in the NFL, which, according to Kimmel, increased after Denzel Washington won his first Oscar in 1990 for “Training Day.”
“There weren’t any in 1987,” the host noted. “I know. Now there are a lot of Denzels,” the actor agreed.
+Watch the full conversation with Jimmy Kimmel
Photos: YouTube Jimmy Kimmel Live. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
