Denzel Washington Makes Rare Appearance With Wife, 4 Kids at AFI Tribute

Denzel Washington was honored at the AFI Awards in Hollywood on Thursday, but he had already found the greatest lifetime achievement according to his red carpet interview.

“[Actually] I was pointing to her. That’s my biggest lifetime achievement,” Washington said in reference to his wife, Pauletta. The 64-year-old actor has been married for 35 years and used the night to make a rare public appearance with his wife and kids.

Washington strolled the red carpet with Paulette at his side, followed by two of his children, Katia, 32, and Malcolm, 28. Washington has four kids total, including Malcolm’s twin sister Olivia and BlacKkKlansman star John David Washington, 34.

The actor’s children are already on the road to success, including John David’s turn towards acting. Daughter Katia graduated from Yale in 2010 with a Bachelor Of Arts degree according to The Daily Mail, while Malcolm graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a film studies degree. And Olivia has the acting bug too, having appeared in Lee Daniel’s The Butler.

The presentation was a breeze for Washington and he says he felt very relaxed according to The Daily Mail. He also opened up about the honor with Entertainment Weekly.

“I’m humbled, I’m grateful, I’m thankful…I’ve never done this before so I can’t really tell you how I feel,” Washington told the outlet. “It doesn’t feel like the other times I’m on the red carpet. I’m usually promoting a film or at an award show. [Here] I’ve already won, I guess, so it’s different. It’s relaxed.”

Washington was quick to admit that acting was never his choice of profession growing up.

“I kind of backed into it. I never thought about acting, I didn’t know anything about it. But I fell in love with it. Ignorance is bliss,” the actor told Variety. “Someone said, ‘Hey, you ever thought about being on stage? You seem like a natural.’ That fall, I did a musical. I found out I couldn’t sing, but I was off to the races.”

The event saw a slew of major names stop in to honor the Oscar-winning actor. This includes director Spike Lee, Pelican Brief co-star Julia Roberts and Beyonce. The actor was all smiles during the event, soaking up the honor and enjoying a look back at a career full of success.

Washington has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards in his career, walking away with two for his roles in Glory and Training Day. He also earned a Best Picture nomination for his producing role for Fences in 2017, a film where he was also nominated for acting once again.