If you don’t know about Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period podcast, then you just might not be a true Denzel fan! I kid. I pride myself on the fact that Denzel Washington has been my favorite actor since my youth, and I just recently found the podcast. No worries! Part of the fun is going back into the archives and listening to old episodes.
So what’s the podcast about? Comedians W. Kamau Bell and Kevin Avery sit down with guests on a weekly basis to discuss why Denzel Washington is the greatest actor of all time. They generally cover a film by themselves or with a special guest and then rank Denzel’s performance using lines from his speech in Malcolm X.
As I said before, I’ve been a huge Denzel fan since I was a kid. Glory was my introduction to the civil war, and one tear cemented his legacy in my mind. The Preacher’s Wife was the new Christmas movie in our household for a minute! (The Soundtrack was fire! RIP Whitney) I was in high school when I saw Remember The Titans in the theater and watched it on DVD so many times I still know the lines, and mannerisms verbatim. I thought I was going to be an actor in high school and you better believe I did the Denzel walk out on stage when I played a role! It was a conversation about Training Day during a film class that bonded me and one of my best friends, Pierce Cook, in college. I haven’t even gotten into being old enough to go back and catch Devil In A Blue Dress finally (in high school). That’s just a part of my story. (Tell me yours in the comment section) Point is, Denzel has been entertaining, inspiring, and bringing people together for years, so it’s no surprise that this podcast does the same thing!
So I love the podcast and here are my top 5 reasons why Denzel can never come on the show (unless it's the end):
#5 You Have to Cover All Denzel Films First
As long as the brotha is starring in, producing, and directing films and TV episodes, there will be a plethora of things to cover. With films like The Magnificent Seven and The Equalizer 2 (Check out my Equalizer review) there will always be something new to cover, because Denzel will always be in something. I mean, let’s face it Denzel will never leave this Earth! He’s got too much to give, and we Denzealots have too much to demand.
As it currently stands, the guys haven’t gotten through Denzel’s entire current catalogue, and that’s quite alright! That means that there is more material to cover, more laughs to be had, and more great insight to learn about Denzel. So Denzel can’t come on the show until all of his catalogue has been covered by the podcast, because it would be downright disrespectful not to hash out all of his great work before that day, right?!!
#4 Closet Denzealots
Quite frankly, the podcast is such a niche subject that if you’re a true fan it feels like you’re apart of a club that only few know of and understand. So when Bell and Avery bring celebrity guests on, it’s either a mouth watering, sippin’ tea session that gives fans an inside perspective on classic films we love (like the Spike Lee or David Allen Greer episodes) or it’s a “I ain’t know Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, Issa Rae, fill in the blank, loved Denzel too!” communion fest!
Either way, you can’t loose with each podcast. Part of the fun is finding out who the guest will be from week to week (if there is a guest…it’s still fun when it’s just Bell and Avery), because it shows the love and respect that other celebs have for Denzel. It truly brings out the closet, industry Denzealots, and makes them a fan like us for an episode.
#3 No More Guests: It’s Chess It Ain’t Checkers!
If you have Denzel on the show…who else would you talk with? There’s no need to talk to anyone after the GOAT! Is someone going to say something about a film he was in that he couldn’t say better? Talk about getting into character better than him? Tell his life better than him? Walk better than him? (OK, I added that last one in for jokes, but you get me.) It’s Denzel! If he comes on the show, than everything after is going to be about when Denzel came on the show.
If this show is going to last (which honestly it can’t go on forever in my opinion, but it’s got a nice shelf life left), they have to play the long game. The long game is not bringing Denzel on until you’ve talked to all the guests that would add good seasoning to the conversation.
#2 The Daydream Will Be Fullfilled
Having Denzel on the show is like talking about what you’d do if you won the lottery. It’s fun to dream about it, talk about it, but if it happened…game changer. I mean, you gotta change your number, move, get an accountant, get financially astute. In the same way, talking about if Denzel came on the show is much more fun in theory, but if it happened, game over! On a recent episode, the guys talked about their ideal Denzel man date. It was funny, and even they cracked up about what they’d do if it actually happened...but it hasn’t, so the dream can keep going.
#1 The Show is Over
Back in the day Rap City: Tha Basement was huge on BET (1999-2004). One of the running jokes was that host Big Tigga’s momma was upstairs. While we occasionally heard her call down from upstairs, we never saw her. In the final episode, momma Tigga came downstairs and it was Patti Labelle. It was an incredibly memorable moment as Tigga’s reign as host came to an end on the final episode. The mystery was put to bed and it was an enjoyable episode.
In the same way, if the show has to come to an end, what better way to end it than spending time with the man himself? As I already have outlined, Denzel’s presence is everything. He is the purpose of the podcast. So if he decides to come on, that’s the note you go out on. On top! Nothing more will need to be said or done. You can start that Meryl Streep podcast guys. You did it! We (denzealots) made it! It’s the pinnacle! Thanks for the entertainment!
With those 5 reasons, I rest my case.
Make sure you check out the website and podcast! Follow the show on Twitter! The guys do a decent amount of interacting with fans.
My name is Kevin Sampson, and I’m a Denzealot!
