Image

1:37 AM / Sunday February 16, 2025

23 May 2011

Denzel Washington receives honorary Penn degree

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
May 23, 2011 Category: Local Posted by:

By Kathy Matheson

Associated Press

 

ABOVE PHOTO: Mr. Washington goes to Penn–Academy Award winning actor Denzel Washington had a ball last week as the guest commencement speaker at the University Of Pennsylvania.

(Photo by Bill Z. Foster)

 

Denzel Washington confessed to a bit of stage fright in his latest role: Commencement speaker at the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Addressing about 5,000 graduates at the Ivy League school in Philadelphia on Monday, the Oscar- and Tony-winning actor said the academic ceremony was “a little overwhelming and out of my comfort zone.”

 

And that was his reason for accepting the invitation to speak, he said.

 

“I had to come exactly because I might make a fool of myself,” said Washington. “I’ve found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Nothing.”

 

The 56-year-old star of “Malcolm X” and “Philadelphia” delivered a humorous speech with a sobering truth: Failure is inevitable. Yet instead of having something to fall back on, he said, graduates should “fall forward” — learn from their mistakes and keep going.

 

Thomas Edison had countless failed experiments before succeeding with the light bulb, he said.

 

“Do you have the guts to fail?” Washington said. “If you don’t fail, you’re not even trying.”

 

One of his earliest failures was as a pre-med student at Fordham University in New York, he said. He changed to pre-law, then journalism, and was close to flunking out before switching to drama and getting his degree.

 

Washington described a second failure about 30 years ago at a miserable tryout for a Broadway musical. Then last year, on the same stage as that audition, Washington won a Tony award for his work in “Fences.”

 

The speech resonated with new grad Adam Shore, a 21-year-old physics major from the Philadelphia suburb of Dresher, Pa.

 

“No one ever tells a graduating class, ‘You’re going to fail.’ But it was very important for everyone to hear that,” Shore said. “You can’t go … thinking you’re going to succeed in every way. You have to be realistic.”

 

Washington also teased the crowd at Franklin Field by alluding to Hollywood gossip, such as alleged arguments with Russell Crowe on the set of “American Gangster” and an encounter with a partially clothed Angelina Jolie in her dressing room. Washington and Jolie co-starred in “The Bone Collector.”

 

But then he demurred.

 

“You’re a group of high-minded intellectuals,” he said, tongue-in-cheek. “You’re not interested in that.”

 

Washington endeared himself to some students by peppering the speech with references to favorite local hangouts. His son Malcolm just finished his sophomore year on campus, and Washington often traveled to see him play on Penn’s basketball team.

 

“The coach didn’t give him enough playing time,” Washington said, drawing laughs. “We’ll talk about that later.”

 

Washington received an honorary doctorate at the ceremony. In granting the degree, Penn President Amy Gutmann said that his moving performances have “entertained us, inspired us and often enlightened us.” She also praised his off-screen work with charities and social causes, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

 

Other honorary degree recipients included author Joyce Carol Oates, husband-and-wife journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, cellphone entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim, Nobel laureate Ei-ichi Negishi and sociology scholar Renee C. Fox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Leave a Comment

Recent News

Color Of Money

Pennsylvania governor seeks more money for schools and transit, but relies heavily on surplus cash

February 10, 2025

Share Tweet Email Governor Josh Shapiro presents his 2025-26 budget proposal to the Pa. General Assembly, as...

Seniors

How Type 2 inflammation contributes to asthma, COPD, and allergic conditions

February 3, 2025

Share Tweet Email BPT Do you live with persistent, moderate-to-severe asthma, COPD, allergies, eczema or hives? Inflammation...

SUNrise

cj speaks…Celebrating in forgiveness for Black History Month

February 10, 2025

Share Tweet Email By cj “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and...

Week In Review

Black History Month explained: Its origins, celebrations and myths

February 10, 2025

Share Tweet Email This undated photo provided by the Association for the Study of African American Life...

Commentary

Commentary: The Retirement Party

January 19, 2025

Share Tweet Email President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt at Madison College, April 8, 2024,...

Health

What you need to know about glaucoma

February 10, 2025

Share Tweet Email FAMILY FEATURES More than 4.2 million Americans live with glaucoma, a leading cause of...

The Philadelphia Sunday Sun Staff