Denzel Washington dismissed the idea of comparing the challenges of making movies with other difficult jobs in society.

Since his shot to fame back in the ’80s, Denzel Washington has cemented himself as one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. But despite being one of the biggest box-office draws in Hollywood, the actor doesn’t entertain the idea of being larger than life, stressing, at first he’s a human being who’s job is to act.

Denzel Washington | Credit: Fences/Paramount Pictures

Moreover, the actor also critiqued the general perception of his job during a sitdown with other industry veterans, describing the art form as a privilege compared to other blue-collar jobs.

Denzel Washington Set the Record Straight About the Perception Towards Filmmaking

Malcolm X | Credit: Warner Bros.

During a sitdown with other major filmmakers in showbiz (via THR), Denzel Washington touched on the everyday struggles that people have to endure to earn a living. Having worked for the sanitation department in his 20s, the Oscar winner stressed that working on movies is a gift and dismissed its comparisons with other hard-working jobs.

While Washington clarified he didn’t intend to downplay the effort that goes into making movies, he didn’t entertain the idea of its challenges being comparable to other difficult sectors in society.

People say, ‘Oh the difficulty of making a movie.’ I’m like send your son to Iraq, that’s difficult. It’s just a movie…  relax. I don’t play that precious nonsense — You know, your son got shot in the face, that’s difficult. Making a movie is a luxury, it’s a gift, it’s an opportunity and most importantly it’s a gift.

This isn’t the first time the actor touched on this subject, as back in 2013 when asked about the challenge of starring in his action comedy, 2 Gun, he recounted his experience working as a garbage man. He told Larry King, “There is nothing that we do in movies that’s hard” compared to the job of being a garbage man, as he recalled working the back of a truck for 22 blocks.

Denzel Washington Didn’t Hate His Days as a Garbage Man

Denzel Washington | Credit: Courage Under Fire/20th Century Studios

Looking back at his days in the sanitation department, despite its difficulties, Denzel Washington expressed he liked being a garbage man, compared to his time in the post office.

While the former was more physical, The Equalizer star found it better than the latter, as he could be done with it within 3 hours as opposed to his job in the post office, which would stretch to 8.

[As a] garbage man you get eight hours’ worth of work, but you can do it in three. So you can go home as soon as you finish. Post office, you get three hours of work and make it last eight. I did both, I liked being a garbage man better. 

Apart from his excellence as an actor, Washington’s humility, which seemed to have stemmed from his early days of working blue-collar jobs, is another reason why he remains beloved by the masses.