Denzel Washington said he disliked being labelled “the new Sidney Poitier”, despite expressing admiration for Poitier as an actor. He felt the comparison reduced him to a familiar category rather than recognising his own ambitions and range.

The article argues that Washington has deliberately avoided being typecast, moving between roles in films such as Remember the Titans, Fences and Training Day. Washington said he wanted simply to be the best actor he could be, viewing repeated comparisons as an attempt to “put you in a box”.