Photo: Kristy Sparow/WireImage; Michael Kovac/WireImage
Denzel Washingtonhas worked with countless A-list talent over the course of his career, but he regrets that he never collaborated with the lateSidney Poitierbefore hisdeath.
Washington, 67, toldVarietyhe wished he could have shared the screen with Poitier, who died at age 94 Thursday. Washington’sVarietycover dropped Thursday, the day before the news of Poitier’s death broke.
Speaking to the magazine, theFencesactor/director said he wanted to costar in a film with Poitier, who made history in 1964 as the first Black man to win a Best Actor Oscar for his role inLilies of the Field.
“God bless him,” Washington toldVariety, adding, “I missed that opportunity.”
For more on Sidney Poitier, listen below toour daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day.
Earl Gibson III/WireImage
Washington introduced Poitier at the 2002 Oscars, when the legendary star was given anhonorary awardfor his work and accomplishments in Hollywood over the decades.
That same night, Washington also took home the award for Best Actor for his performance inTraining Day, and made sure to mention Poitier in his acceptance speech.
“Forty years, I’ve been chasing Sidney — what do they do? They give [an award] to him the same night,” he joked, before adding, “I’ll always be chasing you, Sidney.”
“I’ll always be following in your footsteps,” Washington continued. “There’s nothing I’d rather do, sir.”
While Washington looked up to Poitier, theLilies of the Fieldactor had a mutual respect for his younger industry colleague. Poitierreflectedon Washington winning an Oscar for Best Actor in a 2008 interview, calling the night “a special evening” and commending Washington for “a job most magnificently done.”
“It represented progress. It represented the dimensionalizing of the film industry. It meant the embracing of a kind of democracy that had been very long in maturing,” Poitier said of Washington’s win. “It was an example of the persistence and effort and determination of young people of color — not just African Americans, but Hispanic and Asian people who too were sort of minimalized in American films for too, too long.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I paid then and I pay now great respect to Denzel Washington. He has been a quintessential element in the finest of all American actors,” Poitier continued.
He added, “[Washington] had taken the concept of African-Americans in films to a place where I couldn’t, I didn’t. And he has taken it there with the same kind of integrity that I tried to articulate. So I thank him for that.”
source: people.com
