Denzel Washington Told Will Smith That He Is Proud Of What He Has Become

Will Smith who is often regarded as the most groundbreaking entertainer in the industry took some time yesterday to share his appreciation his mentor Denzel Washington. The Oscar winning actor Denzel has always been a close friend of Will Smith’s aside from serving as Will’s counselor.

At the 28th Annual Screen Actor Guild Awards on Sunday, Smith won an award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for his part in King Richard.  Nominees and attendees at the award show were happy to see Smith take his first ever SAG home. The 67-year-old mentor of The Pursuit of Happyness actor couldn’t be anymore thrilled to see achievements of his longtime pal.

Will Smith spoke to People after the award show, where he reminisced about his old days with mentor Denzel Washington.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together. So we’ve been talking, he’s always been a mentor for me and he grabbed me and he said, ‘This is your year,’ Smith said “He just hugged me and he said, ‘I’m so happy for you. Just love who you’re becoming,’

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 “He knew me years ago, I would go to Denzel for advice so he’s seen me through the years and he was just telling me how proud he is of who I’ve become and what I’ve become. He was saying that he felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders somehow.”

Furthermore, Smith got straightforward about his uphill trajectory in his career, which he described as “a beautiful time in my life.”

“The combination of working on King Richard and the work I had to do as an actor, I was doing it while I was working on the book,” “So I was mining my childhood, I was, you know, really trying to understand my relationship with my father as I was trying to understand Richard Williams and then my parenting with my kids,” Smith continued. 

“It’s been a time of deep personal reflection, and it is resulting in an artistic comprehension and a growth as a man, growth as an artist, that I’ve never had this kind of growth spurt in my life.”

Smith seems extremely grateful to Washington, whereas his mentor is proud of what Smith has become over the years.

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