For context, in the run-up to the 2000 Academy Awards, Denzel and Kevin were among those vying for Best Actor Oscar after delivering critically acclaimed performances in The Hurricane and American Beauty, respectively.
Two months before the Academy Awards, which took place on March 26 that year, Denzel won the Golden Globe — which, if you didn’t know, is often a good indication that they’ll get the Oscar, too. However, that was not how things panned out on the big night.
Recalling the moment they called Kevin’s name at the Oscars, Denzel recently told Esquire: “I have a memory of turning around and looking at him, and nobody was standing but the people around him.”
Elsewhere in the Esquire story, Denzel opened up about his past struggles with alcohol and how it negatively impacted his life. And while recalling his disappointment over the 2000 Oscar loss, Denzel said he likely turned to alcohol to manage his emotions.
Two years later, Denzel won his long-awaited second Oscar for his performance in Training Day. However, that didn’t mean he quickly let go of the bitterness over his loss in 2000.
In fact, Denzel told Esquire that there was a period of time in his career when he held so much resentment towards the Academy that he got his wife Pauletta to watch all the nominated movies and vote on his behalf.