The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a prestigious honor bestowed upon US Presidents themselves. This year, actor Denzel Washington is also to be honored with it. But then Corona made it impossible for him to make a trip to the White House to see Joe Biden.
Denzel Washington and 16 other figures were presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President Joe Biden on July 7. However, the Hollywood star could not be present in the White House and therefore could not accept the award, as reported by the Washington Post, among others.
Biden said that Washington could not participate and that he therefore wanted to present the award to him at a later date. He called the 67-year-old “one of the great actors in American history”.
A White House employee later explained that Washington was unable to attend the ceremony due to a “Covid result”. A spokesman for the actor confirmed to the US magazine “People” that Washington had tested positive for Covid-19, but was fine.
However, it is questionable how long Washington will continue to be an actor. Most recently, “Macbeth” was another very special film with him in one of the leading roles, but shortly before his 67th birthday in December he announced that the future of his film career could lie more behind the camera. In a conversation with “Entertainment Tonight” he said he was now in the autumn of his career. “To be completely honest, I want to do other things,” Washington continued. If he was offered a role, “it would have to be extremely challenging for me to be interested.”
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the United States and is awarded for outstanding service. In addition to Washington, US gymnastics star Simone Biles and soccer player Megan Rapinoe were also honored. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, was also honored posthumously.