Everybody Is Saying 'Denzel' Wrong

Pretty much everyone knows Denzel Washington, and pretty much everyone pronounces his name Den-ZEL Washington. But while making the rounds to promote his new film Highest 2 Lowest, the 70-year-old is offering a correction. After Jimmy Kimmel noted that four NFL players are currently named Denzel, Washington responded, "And this is how you know they named themselves after me, because my name is not pronounced Den-ZEL," per People. He then provided the original pronunciation of his name with a clipped "e" vowel sound at the end—similar to "Hansel" of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.

• Hear Washington explain it to Kimmel in this video. The subject comes up about the 7:35 mark.

• Blame mom: Washington said it was his mother who began calling him Den-ZEL because he and his father share the name. "My mother would say, 'Denzel,' and we'd both show up," he says, per Entertainment Weekly. She tweaked the pronunciation of her son's name to avoid confusion.
• Futile: Washington has been pointing this out to the world for years.