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.