Did you know Denzel Washington and Delroy Lindo have history? The two were both students at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and were a part of each other’s early acting journeys well before they shared the screen in Spike Lee’s 1992 film “Malcom X.”
In conversation at a Thursday screening for Ryan Coogler’s movie ‘Sinners,’ where Lindo plays the role of blues musician Delta Slim, he and Washington recalled their come-up days; Washington shared how Lindo taught him to survive on honey and peanut butter sandwiches, and that Lindo inspired him to step his game up just from watching him work. Washington knew he was a good actor, but he said watching Lindo showed him, “there’s levels to this thing called acting.”
But there’s more than just admiration between the two powerhouse actors. As Lindo put it, his philosophy early on when it came to his relationship with Washington, was that the two of them could succeed together.
“One of the things I remember saying to you was, ‘I don’t ever want to be in competition with you. There should be space for all of us,’ Lindo told Washington. “The fact that I’ve maintained that ethos is one of the reasons I’ve been able to appreciate the extraordinary things that this man has done.”
One of the ways their relationship has proved this was when both actors were living in New York. Washington was working at the time, and Lindo was struggling. According to Lindo, he reached a point where he was tired of the city (“New York-ed out”) and frustrated with his career at that time. But a conversation with Washington made him stick around a while longer.”
“I was telling Denzel about the frustrations I was having at the time. One of the things I said was, ‘I gotta get out of here, man,'” he said. “This man said to me, ‘D, don’t leave, man. You’re too good. This will turn around for you, do not leave.’
Lindo turned this anecdote into a message for any struggling creatives: Hang in there, no matter what’s happening. Hearing that from Washington when he needed it the most made all the difference.
He continued, “That was one of the lynchpins of that particular point in my career, that I got some encouragement from a friend. And it was the difference between –I don’t remember what my next job was– but the point was, I hung in there. Part of the reason I hung in was because of what you told me.”
‘Sinners’ has been one of the most talked-about films of the year, with Lindo’s Delta Slim being one of the most praised performances. It was recently revealed that the project has been shortlisted for Academy Awards nods. The official Oscars nominations will be announced January 22, 2026.
GrioFam, did you know Denzel and Delroy Lindo had this much history?
