Denzel Washington goes unfiltered on Hollywood

Denzel Washington feels far from being a "Hollywood actor."

The actor, 70, made an appearance on CBS News' Sunday Morning recently where he got candid about his new Broadway production of Shakespeare's Othello alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.

During the interview, Denzel set the record straight on his image as an actor and why he considers himself a stage actor before all else.

"What's the definition of a Hollywood actor? Myself, I'm from Mt. Vernon, so I'm a 'Mt. Vernon actor,'" Washington said, referring to his hometown in New York. "I don't know what 'Hollywood' means."

The Gladiator II star continued, "Somebody who's famous on film? A film actor, great success on film?"

The actor—who has won Oscars for his work in movies including 1989's Glory and 2001's Training Day—iterated his love for the theatre, elaborating that he's "a stage actor who does film; it's not the other way around."

"I did stage first. I learned how to act on stage, not on film. Movies are a filmmaker's medium. You shoot it, and then you're gone, and they cut together and add music and do all of that. Theater is an actor's medium. The curtain goes up, nobody can help you," he explained.

Denzel also spilled the beans on his ideal theatre actor.

"James Earl Jones was my northern star when I was in college," he said. "He was who I wanted to be. I didn't get to see his Othello, but I know it wasn't as good as my 22-year-old interpretation. But you know, it's my turn."

Othello is playing at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre.