John David Washington: ‘Ballers’ Star Is A Dead Ringer For His Dad, Denzel Washington
John David Washington gave fans of Ballers that “where do I know you from?” feeling, and there’s a good reason why.
The 31-year-old actor is a dead ringer for his father, actor Denzel Washington, a fact that apparently many fans of the show just learned. John David Washington became a hot topic on the internet this week, with his name among the top-searched terms on Google.
Judging by the reactions on Twitter, many people are just learning that the Ballers star, who plays wide receiver Ricky Jerret, is related to Denzel.
So this is Denzel Washington’s son John David Washington. Denzel who? Geezus pic.twitter.com/8ugYRKVQYi
— SheTweetsTRUTH (@JonettaMDavis) September 3, 2015
Wait I never knew that Ricky was Denzel Washington’s son in real life — alexandria??. (@__cboss) September 4, 2015
It turns out that not only is John David Washington the son of Denzel, but he was a baller in real life as well. He was a standout football player at Morehouse College, and even had a cup of coffee in the NFL, playing for the St. Louis Rams in the 2006 season.
Being the son of a famous father wasn’t always great, John David said. Once opposing players found out he was Denzel’s son, they used that as trash talk fodder.
“They’d find a way,” Washington told Sports Illustrated. “Football players are creative when they’re in the moment.”
John David Washington is no stranger to the big screen as well. As Essence pointed out, he made his movie debut as a child — thanks largely to his famous dad.
“At the age of 9, Washington played a student in a Harlem classroom in the classic 1992 Spike Lee joint starring his father Denzel Washington as Malcolm X. In 2010, he worked with his father again, co-producing the post-apocalyptic thriller Book of Eli.”
Of course, anyone following closely would have already known that John David Washington is Denzel’s son. Hollywood.com even played up the connection when covering Washington’s addition to the Ballers cast.
“Denzel Washington’s son, John David Washington, has landed his first major acting role. The former American football player will star in Ballers, a TV series produced by Dwayne Johnson, according to Deadline.com.”
It could be a good thing that most of the world is just learning that John David Washington is Denzel’s son. Many children of famous actors often say the biggest challenge is stepping out of their shadow and blazing their own path in Hollywood, but the Ballers star seems to have that covered.
[Image via HBO]
