West Side Story Star Recalls Special Moment Meeting Denzel Washington
West Side Story star Ariana DeBose shares a special moment she had with Denzel Washington at the Oscars Luncheon, noting that he came up to her.
West Side Story star Ariana DeBose shares a special moment she had with Hollywood legend Denzel Washington at the Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon. DeBose plays Anita in Steven Spielberg's remake of the 1961 classic movie musical, that uses the structure of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to recount the story of two gangs fighting over Manhattan's San Juan Hill. DeBose's performance has received a lot of praise, resulting in her being considered the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress at this year's Oscars.
West Side Story was initially scheduled to be released on December 18, 2020 but was pushed back to December 10, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While it was a critical darling upon release, that didn't help much at the box office, as it still failed to make back its budget during its theatrical run. It did manage to get a second lifeline when it moved to stream on HBO Max, and fellow directors like Guillermo del Toro praised West Side Story's craftsmanship on social media, causing clips to go viral. West Side Story is now one of this awards season's major players, with DeBose herself arguably the project's greatest chance for victory on Oscar night.
Now, in an interview The Hollywood Reporter, she shares an interaction with fellow Oscar nominee Washington that underscores the impact of the recognition she's received. Noting with surprise that he was the one to approach her, DeBose says she couldn't even believe that he knew who she was, let alone wanted to hug her. He then revealed that seeing her meant a lot to him, as he remembered a time when he was the only person of color in the room. Check out her quote below:
I got to talk to Denzel Washington - actually, he really walked up to me, and I was like, 'Number one, you understand who I am, this feels awkward and backwards.' And he hugged me, kissed me on the forehead, and he said, 'You know, I remember when I was the only Black person in this room. And today I'm not alone.' And I was like, 'Wow!' It was really special.
The Academy Awards has had its fair share of controversies when it comes to inclusivity - not too long ago, they had to reconsider their approach to Academy membership in the wake of the Oscar So White controversy. Other awards shows have been similarly criticized, none more so than the Golden Globes, with the organization that runs them, the HFPA, revealed last year to have had no Black members among its voting body. They have enacted sweeping reforms, but they still missed out on their annual telecast this year as a result, being forced to announce their winners entirely over Twitter.
This year's Academy Awards has multiple nominees of color all across the board, so Washington's relief at seeing DeBose is understandable. However, the Academy is dealing with yet a new controversy, as the plan not to air some Oscars categories live has resulted in widespread backlash from industry professionals. Of course, Best Supporting Actress is not one of those, and viewers who tune into the ceremony at the end of this month might see West Side Story's DeBose holding a golden statuette by the end of the night.
Source: THR