With a career spanning more than 40 years, nine Oscar nominations (a record for a Black actor) and a potential hit with Gladiator II, what else is left for Denzel Washington to accomplish on the big screen? As it turns out, maybe not so much after all, as the actor has indicated that he could possibly be nearing retirement as he nears 70.

Speaking with Empire as part of their new cover story for Gladiator II – in which he plays Macrinus, a broker who wants to take over Rome – Denzel Washington said that at this point in his career, he really needs to find a compelling project to even consider signing on. “There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley…He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration. We should all want to feel like that at 86.” Scott has also said that Gladiator II ranks among the best films he has ever made.

Gladiator II – which is due out in November – is only the second time Denzel Washington has worked with Ridley Scott, having previously been directed by him in 2007’s American Gangster. Instead, Washington leaned more into collaborations with Scott’s younger brother Tony, working with him five times, beginning with 1995’s Crimson Tide and culminating with 2010’s Unstoppable, which ended up being Tony. As for how the English brothers stack up against each other, Washington wasn’t going to give the glory to any one man. “I don’t compare directors. You see the different personalities. I suppose they do [have similarities]. On the days when we’re shooting, I’m busy with what I’m doing. So I’m not comparing this one to that one, but obviously both are great filmmakers. They can’t miss.”

As far as which projects might pique his interest, Denzel Washington is signed on to lead Spike Lee’s remake of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, which will mark the fifth collaboration between the two.

Denzel Washington’s comments call to mind Nicolas Cage’s, who also said he thinks he only has a handful of lead roles left in him. Now that pairing would be an interesting dynamic on the screen…

What stands as your favorite Denzel Washington performance?

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