When Denzel Washington arrived at De La Ronde Hall, the teenagers in the room took their chairs and surrounded the star, eagerly trying to get closer to him.
And Washington seemed just as eager to talk with them, eschewing adults and reporters to instead talk for half an hour with the Boys and Girls Club of Baton Rouge and to give them his best life advice, reports NOLA.com.
His advice was simple but profound: Be humble, give thanks, give back, put in work, be smart, get educated.
“My profession is just a platform for my desire to help,” Washington said in an interview after his talk. “The acting part, that just affords me the opportunity to do what I really love.”
The 60-year-old actor told stories about his childhood and joining a local Boys and Girls Club at the age of six.
“I want them to believe in themselves,” Washington said. “I only have so much time with them, so I try to give them some tools. We have to encourage them. They need us. Whatever problems young people have, they’re our fault. They didn’t come to this world doing the things they did. It’s our fault. We dropped the ball, so we have to look in the mirror and say, ‘what else can I do to help them?’ Try to inspire them.”