Katie Couric recalled “a very uncomfortable interview” she had with Denzel Washington several years ago.
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“I think he totally misconstrued a question I asked and kind of jumped all over me,” the veteran journalist said on the “Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino” podcast Monday.
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Couric shared the story after the podcast’s host asked her if she ever conducted an interview in which she felt “bamboozled.”
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Couric couldn’t immediately think of an interview in which she felt her subject wasn’t forthcoming, but the question did spark the memory of a very awkward 2004 “Dateline” interview with Washington while he was promoting “The Manchurian Candidate.” Washington played a war veteran in the political thriller who discovers that U.S. soldiers are being brainwashed by the government.
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Couric did not specify in the podcast which part of the interview she was referring to, but a transcript of their conversation includes a bumpy exchange in which Couric asked the Oscar-winning actor if he agreed with the idea that “Hollywood folks should stick to acting” and not talk about politics.
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“I don’t know what Hollywood folks are, first of all,” Washington responded. “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.”
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Couric then tried to rephrase her question by asking, “Are you one of those people that —”
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Washington then interrupted saying:
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“Ah, there you go. ‘Am I one of those people?’ Hmmm, isn’t that interesting?”
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After Couric tried again to explain her question, Washington answered: “No, don’t stop. I heard what you just said. ‘Am I one of those people?’ No, I’m not.”
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Couric tried to rephrase a third time, this time asking, “Are you an actor who would rather not —,” but Washington cut her off again.
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“No, I’m not that either,” Washington said. “I’m a human being. My job is acting.”
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Reflecting on the experience on Monday’s podcast, Couric said she felt that she didn’t say “anything wrong” and doesn’t “know what happened.”
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But she ultimately chalked it up to Washington’s having a bad day. She added that he later wrote a “really big” check to the colon cancer foundation she started.
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“I love him. I admire him so much,” Couric said. “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.”
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HuffPost reached out to Washington for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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