Denzel Washington revealed to Esquire magazine as part of a new cover story that he got bitter after losing the best actor Oscar to Kevin Spacey in 2000. The Gladiator II actor, who had already won one Oscar and scored three other nominations before that year’s ceremony,

But while the sting stayed with him for a decade and a half, it was just two years after the 2000 loss that Washington finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor, for the cop drama Training Day. The victory made him the second Black actor to win in the category, after Sidney Poitier's 1963 win for Lilies of the Field.

Denzel Washington reflected on the 2000 awards season — and noted that some people in Hollywood heard rumors about Kevin Spacey years before he was publicly accused of sexual misconduct — in a new essay for 'Esquire.

Denzel Washington became "bitter" and stop voting for the Academy Awards after losing the Best Actor Oscar to Kevin Spacey. The Gladiator II actor revealed to Esquire that he did not take it well when Spacey took the gold statuette for American Beauty instead of him for The Hurricane in 2000.

Hollywood legend Denzel Washington shares his honest emotions after missing out on what would've been his first Best Actor Oscar.

Denzel Washington has admitted he “got bitter” and “gave up” on the Oscars after he lost to Kevin Spacey in 2000. The actor had been nominated for a Best Actor award for his performance as Rubin Carter,