Denzel Washington: Actor and Matinee Idol…
The Fulfillment of Every Black Woman’s Dream
Or Lover Man Oh Where Can You Be?
By Franz Jones
For many years I have listened and watched my many African American sisters discuss the various merits of actor Denzel Washington’s performances on the Silver Screen.
They go to his films religiously and can often describe what he wore in various scenes, his lines verbatim, how he overcame his enemies to become the hero in the end, (with the major exception of his Academy Award winning performance in “Training Day” in which HE was shot in the rectum!), and his walk.
That sexy “swagger” for which, among Black women at least, he is most famously known.
For many, but not all, African American women of almost every age, socioeconomic level, stripe, form and fashion, he is the ultimate “Love God,” the man upon whom they hang their most romantic, domestic, sexual, and economic fantasies.
Since the 1980s, he has become the standard by which many Black men are compared and to whom many Black women aspire.
I cannot tell you how often when sisters gather, that if the name of Denzel is spoken, a hush of pure reverence will fall upon the room.
Black men are often made to feel inferior in his presence (real or imagined) as they can never achieve the heights to which he can and has climbed, always with a beautiful sister by his side to share this major triumph as the music swells and the credits come up on the screen....
Wait a minute!
Let’s stop this cinematic vision for a moment.
Does this really happen in the films of Denzel Washington?
EXACTLY what has Brother
First let us define the term, “matinee idol.”
According to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, matinee idol is a term used mainly to describe film or theatre stars who are adored to the point of adulation by their fans.
The term almost exclusively refers to male actors.
Invariably the adulation was fixated on the actor’s looks rather than performance.
It differs from “sex symbol” (and is also fairly derogatory) in that it suggests the star’s popularity came from the afternoon matinee audience rather than the “big picture” evenings and hence less discriminating audience.
Now a somewhat old-fashioned term, the phenomenon reached its height during the period from the 1930s to around the 1960s, a period extending from the beginning of the “talkies” to the development of pop culture.
Now let’s briefly read what Wikipedia has to say about the term “sex symbol.”
A sex symbol is a famous person of either gender, typically an actor, musician, model, sports star or teen idol, known for their sex appeal.
Okay, that’s a fairly simple explanation, but one that will suffice for now.
Considering these definitions, Mr.
Now, let us consider what in his work as an actor, besides his mere presence, contributes to his reputation for both titles.
Denzel Washington has an impressive body of work.
He has completed approximately 50 films, going back to his first role in the television movie “Wilma” in 1977.
For an African American actor in
Those accomplishments aside, however, I want to talk about his work as it pertains to his status as a “Matinee Idol” or “Sex Symbol.”
Here goes, I will now risk my life and probably earn the enmity of Black women the world over, but I just don’t see the reason for the unconditional attraction.
When has he really played romantic parts to make women’s (and some men’s) hearts flutter?
I can’t for the life of me remember the films in which he and the Black (or for that matter White, or really any other) woman rode off into the sunset for the happy ending.
When I review the films of his that I’ve seen where there are women with whom he may or may not be involved with, for the most part, he’s not...involved.
I had a conversation with a young Black woman of my acquaintance, and I asked her to name a romantic role she remembered with Denzel.
She immediately named “Mississippi Masala,” which indeed, he did play a romantic part, BUT I reminded her that the young leading lady was NOT African American, but of South Asian descent.
She then tried to think of his romantic roles opposite the major Black actresses of the day.
We named Angela Bassett (she played Betty Shabazz in “Malcolm X,” so we agreed that was one), Vivica A. Fox, Lonette McKee, Whitney Houston (there was no romance in “The Preacher’s Wife”; after all, he was an angel!), Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard, and Halle Berry.
We realized that he hadn’t worked with the majority of these few actresses we named and the wealth of others eking out a living in the celluloid factory that is
When he and
I can’t help but hope Mr.
WHY NOT DENZEL?
If sisters are going to continue to pin their romantic hopes upon him and make brothers aware that they should aspire to his greatness, then he should be held accountable to his fan base and give them something back that they can keep close to their hearts, right?
I’m just saying....
