Denzel Washington has a net worth of $280 million as per Celebrity Net Worth. The actor has starred in classic films like The Equalizer, American Gangster, The Magnificent Seven, Unstoppable, and more. It can’t be denied that his presence in the industry has furthered the conversation about having more Black voices and actors.

One of the ways he has been able to do that is because his films are entertaining and have reached the masses. They have impacted many people’s lives too. But what is the one film that has had the most profound impact on Washington? It’s actually an MCU film.

Denzel Washington Revealed The One Film That Made Him Cry

Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther

In an interview (via CinemaBlend), Denzel Washington revealed that the one film that made him shed a tear was MCU’s, Black Panther. The actor revealed that he had run into the late Chadwick Boseman and director Ryan Coogler during a screening of the film. This one movie showed how much progress has been made already.

He said: “Black Panther, I shed a tear. I was sitting in there – I ran into Chad [Boseman] and Ryan [Coogler] before the movie started, it was their premiere or the screening in New York, and just talking to them, and they went into the movie – and the 40 years I’ve been in this game came back to me.”

Denzel Washington

The Crimson Tide actor further emphasized how much of a momentous occasion the Black Panther film was. He said he felt like he was part of a relay race, and finally, that film had actualized a lot of his dreams. Washington said:

“I said man, look at these young boys man, and I actually just started, I was whew. You know, Sidney, to now? And I’m in the gap — and me and many others – are in the gap, but it was like, man. I felt like the third leg of the relay race. Like, here, go. Now, I ran behind them – I’m still running. But I was like, man, they gone. They’re gone.”

In return, Boseman credited Washington with helping him and stated that without the veteran actor, there would be no Black Panther.

Chadwick Boseman Revealed There Would Be No Black Panther Without Denzel Washington

Chadwick Boseman

When the late Chadwick Boseman paid tribute to Denzel Washington in 2019 at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award, he revealed that the only reason he could pursue acting was because of the Malcolm X star.

“Many of you already know the story that Mr Washington, when asked by Phylicia Rashad to join her in assisting nine theatre students from Howard University who had been accepted to a summer actor programme at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford, he gracefully and privately agreed to contribute. As fate would have it, I was one of the students that he paid for.” 

Denzel Washington

He also said that without Washington, there would have been no Black Panther because his past sacrifices paved the way for the future.

Boseman said: “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington. Not just because of me, but my whole cast; that generation stands on your shoulders. The daily battles won, the thousand territories gained, the mini sacrifices you made for the culture on film sets through your career. The things you refused to comprise along the way laid the blueprints for us to follow.”

Today Chadwick Boseman is no longer with us. But he, too, has paved the way for future generations just like Denzel Washington did once.

Black Panther is available on Disney+.