Lionized actor Denzel Washington has mad love for law enforcement and takes umbrage as those who denigrate police officers or underestimate their value and importance to the community.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor has played cop roles sporadically during his venerable career, including the iconic character Alonzo Harris in the Training Day classic that garnered one of his Academy Awards in 2002. Washington leans in against the powerful societal currents campaigning for either the obliteration of police departments, defunding law enforcement agencies or greatly reducing their local budgets.
“I have the utmost respect for what they do, for what our soldiers do, [for people] that sacrifice their lives,” he said unapologetically, according to Complex. “I just don’t care for people who put those kinds of people down. If it weren’t for them, we would not have the freedom to complain about what they do.”
Washington, perennially considered the crème de la crème of Hollywood thespians, has also played cop roles in Out of Time, Bone Collector and his current role as a cranky cop in the thriller The Little Things. He recalls his experience shadowing cops in preparation for his role in the 1991 film Ricochet.
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