In the 2012 filmFlight,Denzel Washingtonportrayed an alcoholic airline pilot whose vices come to light gradually after his plane crash-lands following enduring mechanical failure. Washington is, of course, not a pilot, but there were aspects of his character, William “Whip” Whitaker Sr., that he could relate to, particularly indulging in drugs and alcohol. While the actor admits he has never been strung out, he does reveal that it did begin to do damage to his body, which is why he has been clean and sober for 10 years.
During a chat withEsquire, Washington got candid about his relationship withdrugs and alcohol, particularly with wine. About wine, the actor said,“Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow. It ain’t like,boom, all of a sudden.” Judging by his comments, it seemed like having the excuse to drink fine wine and be able to have the best began his reasoning behind having it a bit too much.
“I never got strung out on heroin. Never got strung out on coke. Never got strung out on hard drugs. I shot dope just like they shot dope, but I never got strung out. And I never got strung out on liquor. I had this ideal idea of wine tastings and all that, which is why it was at first. And that’s a very subtle thing. I mean, I drank the best.”
Denzel Washington Says He Never Drank While Making Movies
Washington admits that when he and his wife Pauletta added a wine cellar to their home, it only gave himmore excuses to drinkeven more under the guise of drinking the best and it not really being a problem. The actor continued:
“I learned to drink the best. So I’m gonna drink my ’61s and my ’82s and whatever we had. Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left. And then later in those years, I’d call Gil Turner’s Fine Wines and Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, ‘Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.”
Before he knew it, his wife began asking why he was specifically ordering two bottles of wine, and he would tell her, “Because if I order more, I’ll drink more.“During his two bottles of wine habit, Washington admits he would drink both of them"over the course of the day.”
Denzel Washington Says “We’re All Slaves” to the Political Machine
Denzel Washington compares Gladiator II to today and says we’re being manipulated by politicians on both sides.
Even though theactor played an alcoholic inFlight, he admits that he never drank while working or while he was preparing for a role. While he goes on to say that he probably drank after he wrapped that film, it wasn’t hard for him to portray someone who lost time because of alcohol consumption. That being said, he certainly had a routine; cleaning up to do work, and then getting back to familiar habits.
“I never drank while I was working or preparing. I would clean up, go back to work, I could do both. However many months of shooting, bang, it’s time to go. Then, boom. Three months of wine, then time to go back to work.”
Washington admits that all the drinking likely did a lot of damage to his body, but he has been clean for a decade, deciding to stop drinking after his 60th birthday and declaring:
“I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now, like being seventy. It’s real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter, if I get another thirty, what do I want to do? My mother made it to ninety-seven. I’m doing the best I can.”
