Denzel Washington Shares The Secret To Keeping A Hollywood Marriage Going Strong

Denzel Washington is a Hollywood success story boasting two Oscars, a couple of Golden Globes, and more box-office blockbusters than you can shake a leg at. But his greatest accomplishment? His long-lasting, 30-year marriage to Pauletta Pearson Washington.

So what’s the secret to maintaining a Hollywood marriage?

“Do whatever my wife says, and keep my mouth shut!” he told MSN Wonderwall.

Denzel met Pauletta in 1977 on the set of the TV film Wilma in which they both appeared in small roles. Though it was Denzel’s first on-screen performance, the real milestone was the beginning of a relationship with his future wife, culminating in their marriage five years later on June 25, 1983.

Pauletta notably put her own acting ambitions on hold to raise the couple’s children, but that may not remain the case for long, according to Denzel:

“She’s sort of branching out now that the kids are out of the house,” he says. “She’s working in New York now and getting her career back on track.”

Denzel will be seen next in Flight, a mystery drama film directed and co-produced by Robert Zemeckis, reports EW. For the film, Denzel shares a steamy love scene with model and actress Nadine Velazquez.

“We get all kinds of naked and it’s great,” Velasquez said of the scene. “He’s such a professional, he makes everything just easy.”

The Flight love scene certainly isn’t Denzel’s first on-screen dalliance. He’s shared intimate moments with Eva Mendes in 2001’s Training Day and Paula Patton in 2006’s Déjà Vu. Regardless of the temptations of Hollywood, Denzel, as Velasquez put it, remains professional no matter what.

“It’s not intimate or anything like that,” said Denzel of filming such scenes. “Love scenes are very technical. It’s you and 29 other people in the room. … I remember an actor said years ago, ‘Don’t be upset if I get excited and don’t get upset if I don’t.’ It’s very technical!”

Are you a fan of Denzel Washington? Here’s the official trailer for Flight, in theaters November 2, 2012:

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