Denzel Washington Recalls Friendship With Sidney Poitier
Denzel Washington Received the Ultimate Cosign From Sidney Poitier
Denzel Washington, like many Black actors, idolized the late Sidney Poitier. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, Denzel recalled the moment he met Sidney, Hollywood's first Black movie star and Oscar winner, and how their friendship progressed. The first time the two powerhouses met was when Denzel was starring in A Soldier's Play off-Broadway in the early 1980s. "He came backstage and took pictures with all of us. He came over to me and he says, 'You know, you're good, you're very good.' I was like, what do you say to Sidney Poitier? 'Yes, sir, thank you!'" Denzel recalled of the starstruck moment. "I'm glad I didn't know [he was in the audience]. That's never good. It takes you out of the play."
From then on, the two actors became close friends. The Macbeth actor shared with Jimmy that he would often record conversations with Sidney on audio and video to keep for himself. "I would just go over to his house and hang out and visit him and I have all types of tapes of him talking about stuff," he said, before adding, "I heard Sidney Poitier curse. . . He used them all. I was like, 'Oh, not Mr. Tibbs?'"
The beloved Bahamian actor died on Jan. 7 at age 94. Following his death, Denzel told Today about their cherished friendship. "We had a 40-some-odd-year relationship, so I'm still digesting all of that and he was the beacon. He was the one we all followed and it was an honour to be able to call him a friend," he told the outlet. Sidney was the first Black actor to win best actor at the Oscars and Denzel is one of four Black actors to have also won in that category. Watch the clip above!
