Denzel Washington is Suffering From a Tongue Injury Ahead of Broadway Return in OTHELLO

Denzel Washington is returning to Broadway this month, appearing alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the revival of Othello. However, Washington has revealed that he has been struggling ahead of his Broadway return due to a tongue injury that has made it difficult to talk. Washington shared more about the injury in a recent interview with The New York Times.

"I bit my tongue almost half-off a few months ago. It’s affecting my speech," he shared. "It forces me to slow down. I have to use it."

He went on to note a particularly difficult line in the play, which is "Whither will you that I go to answer this your charge?"

"It’s hard because my tongue is swollen," he said. "It has affected everything."

Washington also talked a bit about his co-star, Jake Gyllenhaal who is playing the role of Iago.

"He’s a complicated guy. He’s going to be brilliant in this," Washington said. "He’s nuts. I love him. He’s complicated. But he’s already got a handle on it."

Read the original story on The New York Times.

Othello begins previews Monday, February 24, 2025 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre ahead of a March 23 opening night.

About Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington is the most lauded stage and screen actor of his generation. His unforgettable performances have garnered him two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and countless other awards. He received his first Academy Award for the historical war drama Glory (1989) and his second for the crime drama Training Day (2001). In addition, he has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Cry Freedom (1987), Malcolm X (1992), The Hurricane (1999), Flight (2012), and August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences, in which he reprised his Tony Award-winning role opposite Viola Davis. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Mr. Washington. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017). Most recently Mr. Washington portrayed the role of Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon in The Little Things (2021).

Other notable credits include A Soldier's Story (1984), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Remember the Titans (2000), Inside Man (2006), The Great Debaters (2007), and American Gangster (2007). Mr. Washington's professional acting career began in New York, where he performed in theatre productions such as Ceremonies in Dark Old Men and Othello. He rose to fame when he landed the role of Dr. Phillip Chandler in the NBC long-running hit television series "St. Elsewhere." His other credits include the television movies "The George McKenna Story," "License to Kill," and "Wilma." In 2016, he was selected as the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.

Buy Tickets to Othello