Denzel Washington reveals he 'forgot' all rules in awkward encounter with King Charles
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Denzel Washington got candid about his awkward encounter with King Charles III during the 'Gladiator II' premiere in London on Wednesday, November 13.
Even though meeting King Charles was a bucket list moment, Washington exhibited somewhat uncomfortable body language.
Denzel Washington says he 'forgot everything' while meeting King Charles
The 'American Gangster' actor appeared on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on November 18, explaining to Jimmy Kimmel how he forgot all the rules while meeting King Charles III.
“They got all these rules about ‘you can’t be too close,’ ‘let them speak first,’ ‘don’t shake hands,’” Washington explained to Kimmel.
“I forgot it all. I forgot everything," he added.
Meeting the English monarch was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Washington, mentioning the conversation was kept short and focused on small talk.
“It’s good to be king,” he hypothesized. “That was my first king that I remember. He said he loved all my movies," Washington said, reported E! News.
Denzel Washington’s hilarious royal greeting with King Charles
The video captured an awkward moment for Denzel Washington as he was visibly uncertain about whether to shake hands with King Charles III.
He was prompted to ask, “I didn’t know if I was supposed to grab you or not, but it’s my pleasure," the 'Deja Vu' star said in the video.
WATCH: The cast of #Gladiator2 at the London Premiere - greet King Charles as he arrives to watch the movie in Leicester Square, London.
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) November 13, 2024
Sir Ridley Scott, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Neilson all on the red carpet 🍿 🎥 🎦
(Queen Camilla advised by her… pic.twitter.com/SBnRhsrrgS
Despite the confusion, the exchange went smoothly, with King Charles shaking the actor's hand.
Washington, portraying the gladiator trader and arms dealer Macrinus in the sequel, humorously described his character to King Charles, “I’m… just awful. I’m a lovely man, you’ll see. I’m a lovely chap and doing my best.”
"You've been in so many films, it's fantastic," the King responded.
Denzel Washington says King Charles has watched all of his movies
Jimmy Kimmel inquired with Denzel Washington about his interaction with King Charles III and questioned if he had truly watched all of his films.
“That’s what he said—all of them," 'The Great Debaters' star said.
The entire cast of 'Gladiator II', featuring Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and Connie Nielsen, had the opportunity to meet the King at the film's premiere.
Queen Camilla had to be excused from the event due to a seasonal chest infection.
Yet despite Washington's claims of the handshake rules, the Royal Family website noted there are "no obligatory codes of behavior" in meeting the King and Queen but "just courtesy."
It notes handshake is a "usual way" of greeting people.
