Denzel Washington Reveals How to Correctly Pronounce His Name

Denzel Washington has made a name for himself as one of Hollywood’s most respected and versatile actors, but it turns out that people may have been saying his name wrong this entire time. The Oscar-winning star established himself as a leading man through early career successes such as Cry Freedom and Glory, before achieving further acclaim for the likes of Malcolm X, Training Day, and Fences. He is currently promoting his latest starring role in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, but first, he wants to clear one thing up: how to pronounce his name.

Washington made the surprising revelation about the mispronunciation of his name during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, as the conversation shifted onto sports and the talk show host pointed out that there are “currently four players named Denzel in the NFL.” In response, the actor declared, “This is how you know they named themselves after me, because my name’s not pronounced DEN-zel. My name’s pronounced DEN-zuhl.” He emphasized that the second syllable rhymes with “lull” instead of “yell” like most people think.

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