John David Washington
Actor & Producer
John David Washington rose to stardom as BlacKkKlansman’s lead, directed by Spike Lee and produced by Jordan Peele. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to a standing ovation and won the Grand Prix. Washington received nominations for his portrayal of Ron Stallworth during the 2019 awards season, including a Best Actor nomination for both a Golden Globe and SAG Award.
Prior to acting, Washington spent six years playing professional football. Shortly after, he booked his first audition to play Ricky Jerret in the HBO series Ballers. In 2022, he made his Broadway debut in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson alongside Samuel L. Jackson, later leading the film adaptation which had its international premiere at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival before debuting on Netflix. Additional projects include Monsters and Men, Monster, Tenet, Malcolm & Marie, Amsterdam and The Creator.
John David’s introduction to the anti-apartheid struggle started at just four years old when he attended the 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, and his parents subsequently took him to meet Mandela on numerous occasions as a child.
What does freedom mean to you?
Many different things, on many levels. I’m an artist; I identify as an artist. I’m a man of God; I identify as a man of God. I recognize God as running my life. I think the two are intertwined and when I feel like I’m spiritually aligned knowing that I’m giving myself to the craft, to the art, I’m at my most free. That freedom can translate through the screen.
I am afforded, with great privilege, to be able to create, to take stories and words off of a page and make them real – so real that somebody can see them and feel affected by them, enough to maybe want to meet one day and help start an organisation or do real work in the community – because of something you were a part of. I get to benefit from that freedom and give back and do the real work.
Freedom for me is, I identify first as a man of God and then in the artistry. Without sounding too self-indulgent, it feels good to give. A wise man said the greatest feeling in the world is a selfish one, to give, and when I give myself to the work, I get to give to people and they receive it and, hopefully, are inspired by it. That is something I hold high and very much prioritise.
Did playing football give you a real sense of self worth?
It did, indeed. When you’re productive on the football field and you’re playing with broken ribs or a concussion, it’s no longer Denzel’s son doing that, it’s just that young man with all those yards and touchdowns. You gain a sense of respect from people who might have had preconceived thoughts or notions of you before you started. They see you play through certain elements, inclement weather, with things stacked against you, and see that you’re able to come out on top and be successful. Football definitely gave me a pathway to freedom, for sure.
Depending on the play and where the defenders were, catching the ball could feel heavenly or as though hell was coming. It depends on the situation, but just being on that field, being on stage or being on set, I’m able to express myself. Having the freedom, the luxury and the privilege to express myself because so many have done it before and had opportunities to open doors for us is one of the greatest feelings I’ve had. Freedom is partly that feeling.
“CATCHING THE BALL COULD FEEL HEAVENLY OR AS THOUGH HELL WAS COMING.”
Is there a cross-over in channeling the vulnerability of acting and the intensity of football?
People don’t realise that you’ve got to be vulnerable in football, too – maybe even more so than in art. I’ve played football with some characters who have interesting political and racial points of view, and yet you’re depending on that person who maybe hates somebody that looks like me on the field. When you start to have success and start to build as a team, you see the world and politics differently. Suddenly that person starts to see people that look like me differently, because of what happens on the field. It takes a vulnerability to be able to make that kind of transformation based on the circumstances set on the field. This is just me and you; it’s us against them.
Nelson Mandela believed that our own liberation is incomplete without the freedom of others. Is that something you think about?
Yes, yes, yes. It’s important. What I do is dependent on the community. Artistry is a communal experience, particularly, on stage or in the movie theatres, so if I’m helping someone who is making real change, who has devoted their life, their time, sacrificed so many things, or was moved by something I’ve been a part of that they see on screen to motivate them to continue the fight or spark new ideas on how to fight, then that’s what it’s all about.
As far as my art goes, I don’t think about trying to move an entire community. I hope so, but if I can at least inspire or move one person who is responsible for moving communities like Mr Nelson Mandela, then that is the goal for me personally.
Being an African American in this country, you can’t help but think about our community and what my ancestors went through. The trip over here to this country in the first place; those were communal trips. I won’t get into the details of the history, but when I’m doing something I’m representing people and a community, so it would be selfish to act as if I’m a man of his own island or a man of his own. It’s more than that.
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