Throughout the years, Denzel Washington was often questioned about why he never kissed White women in his films and eventually the real reason came out. He’s been known to turn down scenes that required him to kiss Julia Roberts and other White female co-stars in the past, while simultaneously accepting other scenes that called for him to kiss his African American co-stars. Denzel had his reasons for stepping away from on-screen kisses with his sistas from another mista. See what he revealed about this below…

It had been twenty years – since 1992’s Malcolm X film –  that Denzel had kissed a White woman on screen, up until his 2012 movie, “Flight.” He had his reason for not doing so and it had nothing to do with him disliking White women, but it apparently had a lot to do with his respect for Black women, as well as his disapproval of how Black actresses were all too often not seen as the object of affection when it came to major motion pictures, so he didn’t want to feed into that stereotype.

NYDailyNews reported this about Denzel’s choices to keep his on-screen kisses off limits with his White female co-stars:

“Black women are not often seen as objects of desire on film. And they have always been my core audience,” confessed Denzel.

Today.com also quoted Julia Roberts as saying this about Denzel’s refusal to get lovey-dovey with her on camera:

“Don’t I have a pulse? Of course I wanted to kiss Denzel. It was his idea to take the damn scenes out,” claimed Julia at that time.

In more recent years, Denzel also stated this about the plight of actresses overall:

“Black or White, there seems to be a cut-off for women,” he said. “Don’t have a couple of kids; you’re out the door. They’re constantly looking for the younger one, the younger one, and for African-American women, women of color, it’s doubly hard. And then for dark-skinned African American women, it’s even more difficult.”

So to sum it up, Denzel didn’t kiss White women in his movies for decades because he refused to disrespect his core fans by playing into Hollywood’s seemingly one-sided view of beauty; and he also empathizes with actresses of all colors because again, he doesn’t agree with Hollywood’s unfair double standards regarding beauty and marketability.

One person who isn’t worried about him kissing Black women, White women, or any other women for that matter, is his beautiful wife of 41 years, Pauletta…

During a prior interview with Wendy Williams, Wendy asked Pauletta Washington how she deals with all the women who want her man, Denzel, and Pauletta replied:

“I am secure as to who Pauletta is. My mother raised me in a way to know who I am and actually, he married me for who I am.”

In a separate interview with Ebony Magazine, Pauletta revealed some inside info on why she remains by Denzel’s side:

“He has and knows he has stability in me as his wife. That’s what gives him strength, regardless if he misuses it… I can’t dwell on that. But I do know that gives him a great platform to go and fly.”

OLD SCHOOL FUN FACT ABOUT DENZEL AND PAULETTA:

Pauletta turned down Denzel’s marriage proposal TWICE! You say come again? Okay, Pauletta turned down the dude who many women dream of marrying, THE Denzel Washington, not just once, but twice, when he asked for her hand in marriage. Not sure why, but here is what Denzel and Pauletta revealed to Access Hollywood in 2013:

“Three times he proposed to you,” Access Hollywood asked Pauletta, 62. “Yes,” the actor’s wife told Access. “Twice!” Denzel interjected, “It was three times?”

“It was three times. I know with age sometimes things [go], the mind,” Pauletta joked with her husband… Denzel, still unsure about the details, asked, “Why was it twice… Why would I have to ask again?”

“Because I said no,” Pauletta told her husband.

“You heard it here first,” Denzel said. “She turned me down, she said no. And since it was three times, that means she turned me down twice.”

“That’s true. I turned you down twice and the third time we did it,” Pauletta, who has four children with the actor, added.

Well alright Mrs. Washington!!!

Source1, Source2, Source3

The post Fans Intrigued By The Real Reason Denzel Washington Refused To Kiss White Women In Movies appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM family, many of us remember the classic Spike Lee joint, Mo’ Better Blues. It starred and co-starred several legends, including Denzel Washington, Spike, Wesley Snipes, and many more.

“Young Bleek” Then

Speaking if Denzel’s character, “Bleek,” if you saw the film, then you probably remember the kid who played “young Bleek.” He was the kid practicing his trumpet skills with his mama, Lillian (Abbey Lincoln) in the beginning of the film. “Young’ Bleek’s” mom was looking over him, pushing him to play his musical scales, but “Bleek’s” lil’ homies were outside his window, yelling for him to come out and play. “Bleek” didn’t wanna practice trumpet that day, he wanted to go play, but his mother forced him to rehearse anyway.

That hard work ultimately transformed into “Bleek” growing up and playing at one of the hottest jazz clubs in town. Then, at the end of the film, after “Bleek” was no longer an active player, he was seen teaching his son, “Miles” (played by a different kid actor), trumpet skills in the same way his mother taught him in the beginning of the film. Except this time, “old Bleek” allowed his son to go play with his friends, when he said he wanted to take a break.

Anywho, in 1990, the kid actor who portrayed ‘young Bleek’ (a.k.a. young Denzel) was then 8 year old actor, Zakee Howze. Now that we’re all caught up on what happened in Mo Better Blues with “Lil Bleek,” let’s get into what Zakee looks like today as a grown man…

You see fam,’ although Zakee went on to land roles in the 1992 classic, Malcolm X, and the 1994 film, Fresh, it’s been a couple decades since he made noise in the acting world since and now we know why.

“Young Bleek” Today:

This is Zakee Howze now…

He’s reportedly 40 years old…and as y’all can see, the brotha ain’t a baby anymore. Also, based on what he’s revealed in his autobiographical book, Fragments A.K.A. Incomplete thoughts: Fragments, he’s also lived through some real-life-grown-man hardships.

Apparently, he’s had a criminal history, which developed when he was 12 years old. He’s also served time in prison and became a convicted felon. Check out his brief book summary of his life and the lessons he’s learned from it:

Zakee Howze: This book was written during a time of a recession in my country. I am a few days away from being a bastard case. My father bailed out on me and my mother. I fell in love with doing crimes at the age of 12. I caught my first felony at 15. I have a lot of stories to tell from first hand. I stripped myself away from blessing at an early age. You can see some of my childhood achievements at www.google.com and search for Zakee Howze. I have good friends that were murdered or had to go before the creator because of their reasons. I started feeling like nobody loved me. Actually some people did stop loving me. You the man when have the money, but what about being a good person? That doesn’t matter to a lot of people anymore. One thing I learned is that when materialistic items are stripped away from people you will see nothing but their true character. I had to write this book because I witnessed too many people who do not control their own life.

Thankfully, Zakee is no longer living a life of crime and although it’s unclear exactly what he’s doing these days, like my mama used to say: “Sometimes no news, is good news.” Simply put, as long as Zakee has not recently made headline news for regressing back to his old criminal habits, it’s a good thing…he’s more than likely being far more constructive with his life these days and we can’t be made at the man for that.

The post Kid Who Played ‘Young Denzel’ In “Mo Better Blues” Is Grown Now & We Got The Scoop On Him appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

With all of the heartbreaking news going on in the world right now, we wanted to share this feel-good story with you all ILOSM fam.’  *Video below*

In 2016, Ms. Connie Mauro was living out her glory years in Marietta, Georgia, at Atria Senior Living Center. Daily, she knit scarves and then donated them to the Boys and Girls Club.

You see, the Boys and Girls Club was near and dear to her heart, as she worked as a librarian for the organization for 50 years! Over the years, Ms. Connie read to hundreds of children, but one particular kid stood out.

In Mount Vernon, New York, one of the children that she read to lived directly across the street from the library. In fact, she gave him his first library card. Ms. Connie always remembered him for his unique name. Of course, she also remembered how adorable he was. She had no idea that he would grow up to be the Denzel Washington– an Oscar-winning Hollywood icon.

Ms. Connie shared with the director of her senior living home, Katie Barrentine, about her years as a librarian. To Katie’s surprise, Ms. Connie revealed to her that she knew actor, Denzel Washington, when he was a child. Katie knew that she would make Ms. Connie’s year if she could reunite them again.

So, Katie made a video of Ms. Connie asking Denzel to call her for her 99th birthday. It took a while…but Katie was persistent. The video reached Denzel’s publicist and he called Ms. Connie on her 99th birthday, jokingly asking her was she “29”.

Watch the heartwarming moment below: 

The two old friends laughed at how Denzel wanted a skinny book for his book reports. The slick library kid, turned Hollywood icon made her day! He was excited to talk to her, and then he decided that he’d pay her a visit while in Atlanta promoting his movie, “Fences.”

Denzel Washington is a man of his word. When he landed in Atlanta, he made sure to see his favorite librarian, 99-year-old Connie Mauro.

Oftentimes, Ms. Connie would tell people that she knew him…and this time, she was able to prove it.

Not only did Denzel spend time with her, he spent time with everyone at the senior living facility.

Connie, her daughter-in-law, and her grandson ended up accompanying Denzel to the screening of his movie.

She brought him one of her legendary scarves; the rest they donated to the Boys and Girls Club. Gotta love Denzel for this one!

The post Denzel Washington Give His Former 99-Year-Old School Teacher The Surprise Of Her Life appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

When Denzel Washington publicly revealed two of his secrets about what he does with the female co-stars he has to get busy with on-screen, he shocked the hell out of everybody! His female fans were secretly wishing they could be his co-star for a day and the fellas were big upping him and giving him props for being a “G.” Denzel is known for being straight forward in his interviews, but what was surprising about this revelation is that he was being so open about a sexual topic…something he typically doesn’t discuss…

HERE’S WHY DENZEL SURPRISED EVERYONE WITH HIS REVELATIONS

During a prior podcast radio interview with Nova FM’s Fitzy and Wippa, Denzel confessed that he likes to take his female co-stars on ‘dates’ prior to doing love scenes with them. And he explained why, while discussing his past film, “Flight”:

“When I did ‘Flight,’ the first scene we shot, she’s [actress, Nadine Velazquez] was supposed to be naked. So I thought ‘Maybe we ought’ta go out and have a bite to eat or something, say hello and get to know each other a little bit, before you gotta walk around with no clothes on all day. Take ’em out for breakfast or something…let’s at least have a turkey sandwich!'” Denzel said, leaving the radio hosts shocked by his honesty.

But nothing surprised them more than what Denzel said he does DURING the actual love scenes…

“IF I GET EXCITED DON’T GET UPSET”

Like we said, Denzel is always a straight-forward type of guy, so it’s only right he’s just as straight up with his on-screen love interests. In that same podcast interview, he once again shocked folks when he candidly revealed how he warns his female co-stars about his sexual arousal. Just before they shoot the love scenes, Denzel here’s how Denzel says that conversation goes:

“Don’t get upset if I get excited and don’t get upset if I don’t,” Denzel said as he laughed it off.

Damn, Denzel is the MAN!

One thing’s for certain though, no matter how many love scenes and ‘dates’ Denzel goes on with his ‘on-screen lovers,’ there will always be just one true leading lady in his life- his beautiful wife of 38 years, Pauletta Washington.

Source

The post Here’s What Denzel Washington Confessed Doing With Female Co-Stars Before Love Scenes appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM family, there are a few things Denzel Washington’s son/actor, John David Washington, wants you to know about him:

• Please DO NOT compare him, nor his talent to his Pops dammit! (Okay he didn’t say it like that, but we’re pretty sure y’all get the point)
• He is determined to be his own man without leaning on neither his Dad nor his Mom for help.
• Lastly, he wants you to know that in many ways his mother, Pauletta, is more talented than his father, Denzel, and deserves her props too.

He explains it all below in his video interview…

JOHN DAVID ON NOT WANTING TO COMPARED DENZEL’S NAME NOR LEGACY

John introduced himself to The Breakfast Club hosts as John David, which is only two thirds of his name. He conveniently left out the last part — Washington — with the hopes he could set the tone for the interview to be solely focused on him and his work, and not the weight of carrying his Dad’s iconic last name.

(VIDEO) JOHN EXPLAINS THE DOWNFALLS OF BEING DENZEL’S SON & WHY HIS MOM DESERVES HER SHINE TOO

At one point during his Breakfast Club interview, John made it clear that he did not want to be defined by his Dad’s legacy, and that his mother, Pauletta Washington, deserves her congrats for all of her talents and sacrifices as well:

Charlamagne: You seem like you don’t like to tell people that [Denzel’s] your Pops.

John David: Absolutely not and like I said, football helped with that…I knew acting would be the subject where it was brought up, but that’s just what it is. And that’s why I talk about Pauletta Washington (his mother)because she in a lot of ways, in her own right, was more talented. […] That’s just what it is. […] My Mother was actually making more money than he was when they started. She was on Broadway, Julliard, classically trained pianist. On their first date, she paid for the date.

NO DISRESPECT TO HIS DAD THOUGH…

John also made it very clear that he was NOT trying to start any mess with his own Dad when host, DJ Envy asked if he was trying to start beef with his dad:

JD: No, no, no, now see there you go, LOL. I just wanna bring awareness that Moms matter, Moms matter…LOL. It’s very important that I say that.

ON WHY FOLKS DON’T KNOW ABOUT PAULETTA’S TALENTS AS MUCH AS WE KNOW HER HUSBAND’S

John says that his mom put her acting career and goals to the side to raise her children because she, nor Denzel wanted their kids to be raised by nannies. So John says he and his siblings were raised by “a village” of his North Carolina relatives – his grandparents, etc. and that’s why he feels he’s as humble as he is as a man.

PRIOR NFL CAREER HELPED TO CREATE JOHN’S OWN IDENTITY OUTSIDE OF HIS FATHER’S SHADOW

He also said his way of stepping outside of his Denzel’s shadow and becoming his own person was playing football. He was an NFL player who played for the Saint Louis Rams, but his first love has always been acting:

JD: I earned my own scholarship, I’m very prideful about that because they (his parents) didn’t pay for my schooling. I was able to make the All American team, I was ranked nationally when coming out of high school. I took it very serious because it was all I had, it was my ‘independent card.’… I wanted to act, but I later became scared, apprehensive because around [the age of] 19, 20 because I was already in this lane of ball.

JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON ON HOW HIS WASHINGTON NAME RUINED HIS NFL CAREER

JD: The business of the NFL will break your heart. I’m so glad that it worked out the way it did. I’ve gotten to see what the business (of the NFL) is like. The best man or best woman doesn’t necessarily get the job.I’ve seen politics (in the NFL). I’m not saying that happened to me, but the ‘the Denzel factor’ worked against me a LOT in that medium.

For John David Washington, it’s very important that not only he gains individuality and independence from his father’s shadow…but it seems he wants to make sure his mother does too, and rightfully so. Being the child or spouse of an icon, like Denzel, has it’s pitfalls…but I’m sure it has it’s perks also, as is evident in everything John broke down for us.

John is now making a name for himself as a prolific actor in his own right.Looking forward to seeing what other great things the universe has in store for his career in the future.

The post Denzel Washington’s Son Explained Why His Mom ‘Deserves More Props’ Than His Dad appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Throughout the years, Denzel Washington was often questioned about why he never kissed White women in his films and eventually the real reason came out. He’s been known to turn down scenes that required him to kiss Julia Roberts and other White female co-stars in the past, while accepting scenes that called for him to kiss his African American co-stars. Denzel had his reasons for stepping away from on-screen kisses with his sistas from another mista. See what he revealed about this below…

It had been twenty years (in 1992’s Malcolm X) since Denzel had kissed a White woman on screen until more recently in the 2012 movie, “Flight.” He had his reason for not doing so and it had nothing to do with him disliking White women or anything like that, but it apparently had a lot to do with with his respect for Black women and his disapproval of how Black actresses were all too often not seen as the object of affection when it came to major motion pictures, so he didn’t want to feed into that stereotype.

NYDailyNews reported this about Denzel’s choices to keep his on-screen kisses off limits with his White female co-stars:

Denzel Washington once turned down a love scene with Julia Roberts out of loyalty to his female African-American fans, Allison Samuels reveals in her new book, “Off the Record” (Amistad). Washington nixed the steamy segment even though Roberts insisted that he be cast as her co-star in “The Pelican Brief,” writes Samuels, a respected Newsweek reporter. Washington explained: “Black women are not often seen as objects of desire on film. And they have always been my core audience.”

Today.com also quoted Julia Roberts as saying this about Denzel’s refusal to get lovey dovey with her on-screen:

“Don’t I have a pulse? Of course I wanted to kiss Denzel. It was his idea to take the damn scenes out.”

In recent years, Denzel also stated this about the plight of actresses overall:

“Black or white, there seems to be a cut-off for women,” he said. “Don’t have a couple of kids; you’re out the door. They’re constantly looking for the younger one, the younger one, and for African American women, women of color, it’s doubly hard. And then for dark-skinned African American women, it’s even more difficult.”

So to sum it up, Denzel didn’t kiss White women in his movies because he refused to disrespected his core fans by playing into Hollywood’s one-sided view of beauty; and he also empathizes with actresses of All colors because again, he doesn’t agree with Hollywood’s unfair double standards regarding beauty and marketability.

One person who isn’t worried about him kissing Black women, White women, or any other women for that matter, is his beautiful wife of 37 years, Pauletta…

Via Heavy.com: Two years ago, in an interview with Wendy Williams, Wendy asked Pauletta Washington how she deals with all the women who want her man Denzel, and Pauletta replied:
“I am secure as to who Pauletta is. My mother raised me in a way to know who I am and actually, he married me for who I am.”

In a recent interview with Ebony Magazine, wife Pauletta revealed some inside info on why she sticks around: “He has and knows he has stability in me as his wife. That’s what gives him strength, regardless if he misuses it… I can’t dwell on that. But I do know that gives him a great platform to go and fly.”

Well alright Mrs. Washington!!!

OLD SCHOOL FUN FACT ABOUT DENZEL AND PAULETTA:

Pauletta turned down Denzel’s marriage proposal TWICE! You say come again? Okay, Pauletta turned down the dude who many women dream of marrying, THE Denzel Washington, not just once, but twice, when he asked for her hand in marriage. Not sure why, but here is what Denzel and Pauletta revealed to Access Hollywood in 2013:

“Three times he proposed to you,” Access Hollywood asked Pauletta, 62. “Yes,” the actor’s wife told Access. “Twice!” Denzel interjected, “It was three times?”

“It was three times. I know with age sometimes things [go], the mind,” Pauletta joked with her husband… Denzel, still unsure about the details, asked, “Why was it twice… Why would I have to ask again?”

“Because I said no,” Pauletta told her husband.

“You heard it here first,” Denzel said. “She turned me down, she said no. And since it was three times, that means she turned me down twice.”

“That’s true. I turned you down twice and the third time we did it,” Pauletta, who has four children with the actor, added.

Source1, Source2, Source3

The post Fans Intrigued By The Real Reason Denzel Refused To Kiss White Women In Films appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

When Denzel Washington publicly revealed two of his secrets about what he does with the female co-stars he has to get busy with on-screen, he shocked the hell out of everybody! His female fans were secretly wishing they could be his co-star for a day and the fellas were big upping him and giving him props for being a “G.” Denzel is known for being straight forward in his interviews, but what was surprising about this revelation is that he was being so open about a sexual topic…something he typically doesn’t discuss…

HERE’S WHY DENZEL SURPRISED EVERYONE WITH HIS REVELATIONS

During a prior podcast radio interview with Nova FM’s Fitzy and Wippa, Denzel confessed that he likes to take his female co-stars on ‘dates’ prior to doing love scenes with them. And he explained why, while discussing his past film, “Flight”:

“When I did ‘Flight,’ the first scene we shot, she’s [actress, Nadine Velazquez] was supposed to be naked. So I thought ‘Maybe we ought’ta go out and have a bite to eat or something, say hello and get to know each other a little bit, before you gotta walk around with no clothes on all day. Take ’em out for breakfast or something…let’s at least have a turkey sandwich!'” Denzel said, leaving the radio hosts shocked by his honesty.

But nothing surprised them more than what Denzel said he does DURING the actual love scenes…

“IF I GET EXCITED DON’T GET UPSET”

Like we said, Denzel is always a straight-forward type of guy, so it’s only right he’s just as straight up with his on-screen love interests. In that same podcast interview, he once again shocked folks when he candidly revealed how he warns his female co-stars about his sexual arousal. Just before they shoot the love scenes, Denzel here’s how Denzel says that conversation goes:

“Don’t get upset if I get excited and don’t get upset if I don’t,” Denzel said as he laughed it off.

Damn, Denzel is the MAN!

One thing’s for certain though, no matter how many love scenes and ‘dates’ Denzel goes on with his ‘on-screen lovers,’ there will always be just one true leading lady in his life- his beautiful wife of 38 years, Pauletta Washington.

Source

The post Here’s What Denzel Confessed Doing With Female Co-Stars Before Their Love Scenes appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

As if many weren’t already shocked to learn that Malcolm X had dated a Caucasian woman in real life, Kate Vernon shocked the world a tad bit more, when she publicly claimed, in a 1992 LA Times interview, that Spike Lee treated her like a second class citizen on the movie set. According to her, things got so tense that they had a VERY heated argument while filming! See what Kate said all of this hoopla was about…

THEIR HEATED ARGUMENT WITH SPIKE LEE

At first Kate Vernon had a positive outlook about Spike and his films, but once it was time for her to work with him, her views about Spike Lee shifted after she was interviewed by him and rehearsals began:

‘”He was very kind of supportive and inquisitive, [said Vernon]. …  But according to Vernon, working with Lee from then on was difficult. She said his attitude changed as soon as rehearsals began. “It was as if he was very aloof, very disinterested,” she said. “Spike’s way of working with me, I mean in polite terms, I could say he was very quiet. He didn’t pay much attention to me.”

Vernon said she and Washington ended up working out their scenes during the rehearsals. “Spike was in the corner sort of going through the script watching,” she said. “I found that to be very uncomfortable because I felt like I couldn’t go to Spike. I am speaking about my experience with him, not everyone’s experience. I never felt part of the process. In that way it was terribly uncomfortable. I can’t figure out the psychology of Spike and I tried to.”

Kate then became pissed when she claimed that Spike Lee didn’t honor her contract when it came to nudity:

“In my contract, we agreed no nudity,” Vernon said. “The family of Malcolm X didn’t want any nudity.”

Vernon claims that once it was time to shoot the love scene with Denzel in the back of a Cadillac, Spike went against her contract. She says that only her shoulders were supposed to have been show, but claims Spike told her the scene would only work if she showed her breasts, presumably to give it a more realistic feel:

“This argument broke out between Spike and I,” she said. “I am trapped in this car and I am fighting with Spike to honor my contract. What resulted is that he cut the scene in half.”

SHE’LL NEVER WORK WITH HIM AGAIN

Via LA Times- Vernon said…she was in Rome filming a comedy, “Jackpot.” One morning, she heard a loud knock at her trailer door. It was Lee. “He said, ‘How you doing?,’ which was really great. He was lecturing at a filmmaking school and thought he would stop by and say, ‘Hi.’ I thought it was really sweet.” Still, she says, she doesn’t hope to work with the director again. “I feel like I have worked with him, I know what it is like.”

We’re not sure what Spike thoughts are about Kate’s claims, but we have learned one thing about him. To get the best performances out of actors, one of his tactics has been to intentionally create tension off-camera, as a way to get that authenticity of a tense situation on camera. Example: Spike created a real-life tense scenario for the actors who played the gigaboos and the wannabees in his film, “School Daze,” because he wanted that same off-camera tension between the actors to seem real in the film.

Some would say that’s the work of a genius, while others -especially those on the receiving end of said tension (like Kate Vernon was)- will probably say that’s the work of a jerk. But there’s no denying that when Spike puts his creative skills behind something, magic happens, just like it did in the “School Daze” and “Malcolm X.”

The post “Malcolm X” Actress Explained Why She Was Furious With Spike Lee During Filming appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM family, many of us remember the classic Spike Lee joint, Mo’ Better Blues. It starred and co-starred several legends, including Denzel Washington, Spike, Wesley Snipes, and many more.

“Young Bleek” Then

Speaking if Denzel’s character, “Bleek,” if you saw the film, then you probably remember the kid who played “young Bleek.” He was the kid practicing his trumpet skills with his mama, Lillian (Abbey Lincoln) in the beginning of the film. “Young’ Bleek’s” mom was looking over him, pushing him to play his musical scales, but “Bleek’s” lil’ homies were outside his window, yelling for him to come out and play. “Bleek” didn’t wanna practice trumpet that day, he wanted to go play, but his mother forced him to rehearse anyway.

That hard work ultimately transformed into “Bleek” growing up and playing at one of the hottest jazz clubs in town. Then, at the end of the film, after “Bleek” was no longer an active player, he was seen teaching his son, “Miles” (played by a different kid actor), trumpet skills in the same way his mother taught him in the beginning of the film. Except this time, “old Bleek” allowed his son to go play with his friends, when he said he wanted to take a break.

Anywho, in 1990, the kid actor who portrayed ‘young Bleek’ (a.k.a. young Denzel) was then 8 year old actor, Zakee Howze. Now that we’re all caught up on what happened in Mo Better Blues with “Lil Bleek,” let’s get into what Zakee looks like today as a grown man…

You see fam,’ although Zakee went on to land roles in the 1992 classic, Malcolm X, and the 1994 film, Fresh, it’s been a couple decades since he made noise in the acting world since and now we know why.

“Young Bleek” Today:

This is Zakee Howze now…

He’s 38 years old and as y’all can see, the brotha ain’t a baby anymore. Also, based on what he’s revealed in his autobiographical book, Fragments A.K.A. Incomplete thoughts: Fragments, he’s also lived through some real-life-grown-man hardships.

Apparently, he’s had a criminal history, which developed when he was 12 years old. He’s also served time in prison and became a convicted felon. Check out his brief book summary of his life and the lessons he’s learned from it:

Zakee Howze: This book was written during a time of a recession in my country. I am a few days away from being a bastard case. My father bailed out on me and my mother. I fell in love with doing crimes at the age of 12. I caught my first felony at 15. I have a lot of stories to tell from first hand. I stripped myself away from blessing at an early age. You can see some of my childhood achievements at www.google.com and search for Zakee Howze. I have good friends that were murdered or had to go before the creator because of their reasons. I started feeling like nobody loved me. Actually some people did stop loving me. You the man when have the money, but what about being a good person? That doesn’t matter to a lot of people anymore. One thing I learned is that when materialistic items are stripped away from people you will see nothing but their true character. I had to write this book because I witnessed too many people who do not control their own life.

Thankfully, Zakee is no longer living a life of crime and although it’s unclear exactly what he’s doing these days, like my mama used to say: “Sometimes no news, is good news.” Simply put, as long as Zakee has not recently made headline news for regressing back to his old criminal habits, it’s a good thing…he’s more than likely being far more constructive with his life these days and we can’t be made at the man for that.

The post The Kid Who Played ‘Young Denzel’ In “Mo Better Blues” Is A Grown Man Now & We Were Not Ready appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

They’re Kids Got Serious Acting Skills

Embed from Getty Images

As most of us know, Denzel and his wife, Pauletta’s, son, John David Washington (36), has been KILLIN’ it on the hit HBO series, “Ballers,” which also stars Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. But what many may not know is that the Washingtons’ daughter, Olivia Washington (29), is also a helluva actress. She’s so talented, that even John David openly admitted, in his “Breakfast Club” interview, that Olivia is the better actress and that their Pops always tells her she’s going to earn an Oscar one day. He also jokingly stated that Denzel just tells him to keep grindin’, LOL.

What Denzel Schooled His Daughter On

Although Denzel knows his daughter has what it takes to dominate in Hollywood, he’s not one to turn a blind eye to unfortunate realities that exist within society and in entertainment. That’s why he kept it real with his daughter about how her beautiful chocolate skin could possibly hamper her career…if she doesn’t learn the game. In a roundtable interview a few years ago, with several other actors -including Matt Damon, Richard Gere, and Jamie Foxx- Denzel revealed exactly what he teaches his daughter to do regarding anything that could be viewed as a brainwashed ‘strike against her’ in Hollywood:

Washington (via The Hollywood Reporter): “I tell my daughter — she’s at NYU — I say, ‘You’re black, you’re a woman, and you’re dark-skinned at that. So you have to be a triple/quadruple threat.’ I said, ‘You gotta learn how to act. You gotta learn how to dance, sing, move onstage.’ That’s the only place, in my humble opinion, you really learn how to act. I said, ‘Look at Viola Davis. That’s who you want to be. Forget about the little pretty girls…if you’re relying on that, when you hit 40, you’re out the door. You better have some chops.'”

Props to Denzel for giving his gorgeous daughter tools that will only motivate her to push even harder at her craft.

Where You Can Watch Olivia Washington Do Her Thing

Olivia Washington is currently starring on USA Network’s TV drama, Mr. Robot. She’s also performing at the Chicago Shakesphere Theater in a play titled, ‘Taming of the Shrew,’ up until November 12, 2017. Can’t wait to see what else Olivia has in store for us. Keep doing your thing ma!’

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