Denzel Washington Has Opened up About the Toll His Drinking Took on His Health

Although Denzel Washington has been a fixture on movie screens for decades now, the actor has managed to age on screen with incredible grace. The health of an actor of his stature is always going to be something people are curious about, if for no other reason than the fact that people want him to keep acting for years to come.

Now that Denzel's latest collaboration with director Spike Lee has premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, many want to know more about his current health status. Here's what we know.

Denzel appears to be in remarkably good health, especially for his age. In 2024, he opened up about his decision to cut drinking out of his life almost completely after developing a habit for more than a decade. In an interview with Esquire, Washington said that he developed a "15-year habit" of drinking excessively starting in the late 1990s. He explained that his struggles started when he and his wife built a large house with a 10,000-bottle wine cellar.

Denzel said that he typically cleaned up his act for movies and would return to his drinking routine in between shoots, typically drinking two bottles of wine a day.

“I had this ideal idea of wine tastings and all that — which is what it was at first. And that’s a very subtle thing. I mean, I drank the best. I drank the best,” he explained, describing the way he explained his problem in part was that he was drinking fancy wine.

“I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean,” the actor continued. “Be 10 years this December. I stopped at 60, and I haven’t had a thimble’s worth since. Things are opening up for me now — like being 70. It’s real. And it’s OK. This is the last chapter — if I get another 30, what do I want to do? My mother made it to 97.”

Denzel also said that, in addition to cutting back on drinking, he's also eating healthier and working with a trainer.

“I’m doing the best I can. And not only alcohol — forget all that. Strength,” the Oscar explainer. “About two years ago my good friend, my little brother, Lenny Kravitz, said, ‘D, I wanna hook you up with a trainer.’ And he did, and he’s another man of God. I started with him February of last year. He makes the meals for me and we’re training, and I’m now 190-something pounds on my way to 185."

"I was looking at pictures of myself and Pauletta at the Academy Awards for Macbeth, and I’m just looking fat, with this dyed hair, and I said, ‘Those days are over, man.’ I feel like I’m getting strong. Strong is important," he continued.

It seems like, as he's aging, one of the great actors of his generation has decided to prioritize his health above all else. Hopefully, that means we'll get to keep seeing him act for years to come.