Denzel Washington Stars in Gladiator 2: US Interview
Never Used Drugs or Substances but Obsessed with Wine
Drank Two Bottles Daily Worth Millions of Won
Cut Back on Drinking Over Past 10 Years Due to Health Concerns
Wine has long been called the "Drops of God," with the old saying that having a glass a day is good for your health. However, recent studies have shown that drinking even one glass of wine daily may not be beneficial for the body.
Hollywood star Denzel Washington has not touched any alcohol for 10 years. He has never been addicted to drugs or narcotics, nor is he an alcoholic. He was a wine enthusiast. He loved wine so much that he once finished two bottles in one night. Yet, he quit wine for 10 years for health reasons. Washington will turn seventy next month.
On the 20th, the American magazine People published an interview with Denzel Washington, who graced the cover of Esquire's winter issue to commemorate Ridley Scott's film "Gladiator 2," under the headline "Denzel Washington Reflects on Past Drug and Alcohol Use: 'It Did a Lot of Damage to My Body.'" In the interview, he said, "It started with wine. Wine is very sneaky. It creeps up on you slowly. It doesn’t hit you suddenly with a bang!"
Washington recalled when he brought a wine cellar into his home. "I learned how to drink the best wines. So we drank all the wines we had, like the 1961 and 1982 vintages. The wine was mine, and sometimes I would open a $4,000 (5.6 million won) bottle just because there was no excuse not to."
For years, Washington would call wine shops and order, "Please send me two bottles of the finest wine, either this one or that one." His wife, Pauletta, asked, "Why do you order two bottles at a time?" He replied, "If I order more, I’ll drink more. So I only ordered two bottles. And I drank both in one day."
Washington never drank while working or preparing. He said, "I stopped drinking when I was working or preparing. After finishing work, I would drink wine. During the few months of filming, I stayed clean, but once it was over, I started again. I drank wine for three months after filming, then went back to work," he recalled.
Looking back, Washington said, "My body got really bad. We'll have to see what happens. But now, I’m clean." He added,
"I’m turning 70. It’s reality. This could be the last chapter. If I live another 30 years, I think about how I want to spend that time. My mother lived to 97. I’m doing my best too."
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