Washington began acting in 1992, appearing in the film
Malcolm X alongside his father
Denzel Washington, then in 2015, he won the role of Ricky Jerret, an NFL player, in the
HBO drama series
Ballers. The series was well received by critics and continued for five seasons through 2019. '' at the
2018 Cannes Film Festival In September 2017, Washington was cast in the lead role of detective
Ron Stallworth in
Spike Lee's thriller feature film
BlacKkKlansman, which was based on Stallworth's memoir. The film premiered on May 14, 2018, at the
2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the
Palme d'Or. It was awarded the
Grand Prix by the festival jury. The film's U.S. theatrical release was on August 10, 2018, a date chosen to coincide with the one year anniversary of the
Charlottesville rally. The film was a commercial success, earning Washington both
Golden Globe and
Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. In 2018, Washington also starred in the films
Monsters and Men and
Monster, both of which screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the
2018 Sundance Film Festival. He also appeared in the western film
The Old Man & the Gun. After seeing Washington's work in
BlacKkKlansman, director
Christopher Nolan hand-picked him to star in his thriller film
Tenet. Nolan said of the actor, "[He's] just one of the greatest collaborators I've worked with: extraordinarily hard-working, very, very thoughtful, and very considerate of everybody around him in the most wonderful way." Released in September 2020,
Tenet received mixed reviews.
Peter Travers of
Rolling Stone praised Washington's "star-in-the-making" performance, writing, "A former football running back, the actor brings a natural athletic grace to the stunts and hand-to-hand combat that forge a visceral bond between his character and the audience." For his performance, Washington won the
Saturn Award for Best Actor. Washington starred alongside
Zendaya as the titular characters in the drama film
Malcolm & Marie (2021), which had been filmed in secret during the
COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released to mixed reviews, but Washington's performance received praise. He starred as Harold Woodman, a lawyer and war veteran, in the ensemble period film
Amsterdam (2022) directed by
David O. Russell. He then had a starring role in
Gareth Edwards' 2023 science fiction film
The Creator. Washington performed in a
Broadway revival of
August Wilson's
The Piano Lesson beginning in September 2022 and ending in January 2023. He reprised his role in a
2024 film adaptation of the play, directed by his brother,
Malcolm Washington. In 2025, Washington became the face of
Tom Ford's fragrance Bois Pacifique. ==Acting credits==