Fans are all saying the same thing about an resurfaced clip of Denzel Washington doing an English accent in one of his early films.
Over a long and dazzling career, Denzel has established himself as one of the most respected actors of his era, showered with praise and awards.
The 69-year-old has two Oscars to his name, as well as a Tony Award, two Golden Globes and the Presidential Medal Of Freedom.
He was hailed two years prior by the New York Times as the top actor of the 21st century, surpassing renowned talents like Isabelle Huppert, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Viola Davis.
Now, however, he is receiving a rather different reaction to some old footage of him attempting an English accent in the 1988 movie For Queen And Country.
As the video circulated online, Denzel was roasted even by viewers who otherwise admire him – and one particular observation came up again and again.
Fans are all saying the same thing about an resurfaced clip of Denzel Washington doing an English accent in the 1988 movie For Queen And Country
Fans joked that his alleged English accent was tinged with those of various other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
For Queen And Country starred Denzel as a Londoner who struggles to reacclimatize to civilian life after fighting in the Falklands War.
When the film premiered at Cannes, Denzel had just earned an Oscar nod for playing South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in the 1987 drama Cry Freedom.
In 1989, Denzel won his first Academy Award thanks to his role in Glory as a former slave who becomes a Union soldier in the American Civil War.
However, For Queen And Country, coming between those two films, was a bomb at the box office and a disappointment to the critics.
The movie came in for brickbats yet again this week as an old clip of it was spread around social media, showcasing Denzel’s stab at an English accent.
One fan posted the video to X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: ‘Denzel Washington tried speaking with a British accent in a film once and never tried doing it again.’
The post was then uploaded to Instagram, where viewers reacted with hilarity and flooded into the comments section to share their opinions.
Over a long and dazzling career, Denzel has established himself as one of the most respected actors of his era, showered with praise and awards; pictured last month
For Queen And Country starred Denzel as a black Londoner who struggles to reacclimatize to civilian life after fighting in the Falklands War
As the video circulated online, Denzel was roasted even by viewers who otherwise admire him – and one particular observation came up again and again
One fan posted the video to X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: ‘Denzel Washington tried speaking with a British accent in a film once and never tried doing it again’
Fans on Instagram noticed that his alleged English accent was tinged with various other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
‘Why am I hearing Australian mixed in there? Uncle was fighting for his life,’ joked one as another wrote: ‘I can’t even finish watching this scene.’
‘I heard English, American, Australian and South African accents all together in a few sentences,’ noted a third. ‘I thought Scottish and Irish were coming next, maybe if the dialogue continued it would have happened.’
‘He’s from London, South Africa and New South wales all at the same time,’ an Instagram user quipped, as another cracked: ‘Denzel only has one voice and it’s his own…. Just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone…’
‘He goes from cockney, to Aussie and Kiwi,’ a commenter pointed out as another vamped: ‘Every single time I see this clip…I want to drape a cloth over Denzel’s two Oscars…they don’t need to see their daddy acting like this.’
‘Love Denzel and his acting range, but this proved EVERYONE has their limitations, this should never have been allowed to have seen the light of day,’ a fan wrote.
‘Incredible actor, terrible at accents,’ another admirer of his remarked, adding: ‘I just know the dialogue coach was punching the air.’
