Denzel Washington COVERS GQ Magazine's October 2012 Issue, Talks First Onstage Memory, Malcolm X Role & Mitt Romney! (Photos)

September 18, 2012GWL Staff

Actor Denzel Washington is on the latest cover of GQ Magazine's October 2012 issue. Where the 57-year-old actor looked handsome in a Giorgio Armani suit and shirt with a Burberry Prorsum tie and Tom Ford shoes for the spread. Check out the highlights below and pics...........

During the interview with GQ Mag, the Oscar winning actor talked about his first onstage memory, Mitt Romney, Whitney Houston, playing Malcolm X and more.

On his first memory of being onstage?

"I was around 7, 8, whatever I was. We did a talent show at the Boys Club. Me and another guy, Wayne Bridges—God rest his soul—he's the father of Chris Bridges, Ludacris. We decided to be the Beatles. So we went to John's Bargain Store and bought fake guitars and wigs and did "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

On actor's who influenced him?

"There's a scene in The Godfather II. De Niro's in a theater. And he's looking back. It's just a look. I don't think I've ever imitated another actor, but there's nothing wrong with learning from them."

What is the first movie that you recall?

"King Kong. The Wizard of Oz was a big one. I remember Caged, these women in prison. I liked that one. But I wasn't a movie buff. Never thought about the movies. When I was in my teens, it was movies like Shaft or Superfly. I wanted to be like those guys. But I never thought about being an actor, ever. I wanted to be Jim Brown or Gale Sayers, not Sidney Poitier. When I started acting, there weren't any big black movie stars. There was a little Billy Dee Williams and some Richard Pryor. That was it."

On roles he regret turning down?

"Seven and Michael Clayton. With Clayton, it was the best material I had read in a long time, but I was nervous about a first-time director, and I was wrong. It happens."

Do you have any code you live by?

"I read from the Bible every day, and I read my Daily Word. I read something great yesterday. It said, "Don't aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference."

When the Denzel biopic is made, what would an actor need to have in his performance to make you say, "He got me"?

"That suggests I know what it is, and I don't want to know what it is. That's part of the mystery. It is what it is. I don't go, "I gotta make sure I put some of that Denzel Washington-ism in the movie." I don't want tricks. I don't want to lose my mojo."

When you were playing Malcolm X, you said one of the things that helped you "get" Malcolm was noticing that he was always pointing.

"That was one of the keys. It wasn't the key. He does a lot of that. And he didn't say "against," he said, "a-ginst." So I started throwing in extra "a-ginst"s, because it made me feel like I was in rhythm."

On Mitt Romney:

“When I see him, he’s always uncomfortable. You can see that un-comfortableness. Forget about his being Mormon. He hasn't said anything about his faith.”

On Whitney Houston:

“Whitney was my girl, and she had done so well in recovery. And that is the toughest part about addiction. …That was a monster drug that got ahold of her, it was a mean one. You can’t go back to that one. Nobody beats that. I look at people—and I don’t think I’m speaking out of line—Sam Jackson, I’ve known for thirty-some-odd years, he was down at the bottom. And he came all the way back. And when he cleaned up, he never looked back. But he can’t have that beer, because it might lead to the tough thing.”

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