‘What she told me that day has stayed with me’: Denzel Washington finally fulfils a prophecy that’s been dangling over his entire adult life

Award-winning actor Denzel Washington has worked in the entertainment industry for decades as an actor, director, and producer, and now he found his new calling just a week shy of his 70th birthday.

On Dec. 21, Washington was baptized at The First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ in Eastern New York and received his license to train as a minister during a ceremony that was livestreamed on the church’s Facebook page. The actor talked to the congregation, saying, “It took a while but I’m here,” adding, “If God can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you. The sky literally is the limit.”

Washington also opened up about a “prophecy” from Ruth Green, a woman who used to visit his mother’s beauty parlor in Mount Vernon, New York. Miss Green looked at a 20-year-old Washington and said, “Boy, you are going to travel the world and preach to millions of people.” He didn’t know what to make of the message. At that point in his life, he was studying journalism at Fordham University and barely passing. He assumed Miss Green meant that he would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a minister, but opportunities led him to become an actor instead. Now, it seems Miss Green’s prophecy is coming true.

“She didn’t say you were going to get back in school. She didn’t say you were gonna become an Academy Award winner. She didn’t say any of those things. She said you’re gonna travel the world and preach to millions of people.”

Also in attendance during the ceremony was Washington’s wife Pauletta, who expressed how proud she was of her husband of 41 years, describing him as the “head of our house” who set a “great example” to their four children.

The baptism came a month after he said being religious is ‘not sexy’

In an essay in Esquire’s Nov. issue, Washington reveals more about how his faith has changed from his childhood years. Church was always present in his life growing up, but his perception changed after attending West Angeles Church of God in Christ in the early ‘80s. That was where he said he was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and was left in tears as he was overcome with emotion. It was a different feeling from when he was a child attending church and reciting what he was taught.

Despite that life-changing event and new realizations about his faith, Washington said there was “fear.” “You can’t talk like that and win Oscars. You can’t talk like that and party. You can’t say that in this town,” adding that discussing religion is not “fashionable” and “sexy” but it doesn’t necessarily mean that people in Hollywood don’t have strong beliefs. Now, however, he’s “unafraid” to share his thoughts and feels free.

The actor said that his faith has always played a role in choosing the characters he portrays, even the villainous ones, saying, “Even in the darkest stories, I’m looking for the light.” In an interview with Empire in Aug., Washington said that there aren’t many roles he’s interested in pursuing anymore, perhaps hinting at a shift to the next chapter in his life as a minister. The statement doesn’t mean he’s retiring from acting, however, as he still has some filmmakers he wants to collaborate with and is looking to do more work behind the camera.