Katie Couric has decided to shed some light on a very odd interview that she had with legendary actor Denzel Washington.
The TV veteran revealed that she was left uncomfortable and confused by the exchange filmed for Dateline because she really appreciated the Oscar winner and could not comprehend why he verbally attacked her.
The bizarre incident with Washington took place while she was interviewing him about his film, The Manchurian Candidate in 2004.
The 63-year-old newswoman recently spoke about the matter during a fascinating and juicy appearance on the famous Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino podcast, where she left no stone unturned.
The reason for Washington’s anger and frustration? Couric asked several times whether “Hollywood folks should stick to acting,” even though he made it clear from the beginning that he wanted to move on from the question.
At Couric’s first attempt, Washington rapidly revealed that he was irritated yet kept his famous cool composure and tried to pivot.
He stated: “I don’t know what Hollywood folks are, first of all. Hollywood is a town that has some stars on the sidewalk. I don’t know anybody from there. So, I don’t – that’s like saying – calling you a ‘type’ of folks. I’m not a Hollywood folk. I don’t know who they are.”
Couric would not drop the topic and decided to rephrase the question and tried to ask: “Are you one of those people that –”
Washington interrupted her and made it known that he had enough by saying: “Ah, there you go. Am I one of those people? Hmmm, isn’t that interesting?”
Couric understood where Washington train of thoughts was heading, so she told him: “Oh, stop, stop, stop.” Washington responded by saying: “No, don’t stop. I heard what you just said. ‘Am I one of those people?’ No, I’m not.”
Couric, who seems never to give up, again tried and failed to ask the question, saying: “No, are you an actor who would rather not —”
Washington put an end to the exchange by stating: “No, I’m not that either. I’m a human being. My job is acting.”
During the podcast, Couric explained that the conversation was uncomfortable and added: “I think he misconstrued a question I asked and kind of jumped all over me. It was so uncomfortable because he was doing it with Meryl Streep…”
Couric also revealed the kind gesture that Washington made towards her after the mindboggling encounter.
She said: “I don’t think I said anything wrong… I don’t know what happened. I think he must have been having a terrible day because he later wrote a massive check to my colon cancer organization, which I thought was super sweet. I love him, and I admire him so much. He’s one of my favorite actors, but I remember walking out and feeling really kind of shaken that he had kind of gone after me in a way that was completely, weirdly uncalled for.”
Washington has not addressed the matter.
