Video Shows Denzel Washington Confront Unruly Crowd Outside NYC's Museum of Modern Art

Denzel Washington won't put up with any behavior he considers disrespectful.

On Wednesday, October 23, the 69-year-old actor was in attendance for the Museum of Modern Art's 2024 Film Benefit when he was accosted by fans and paparazzi when he arrived. Per a video shared by TMZ, he was greeted with lots of yelling and requests for autographs, which he mostly ignored as he took a photo with someone. But when the yelling got more animated as he made his way inside, he turned around to confront some of the crowd.

It's hard to make out what he said, but he appeared to take issue with their behavior and comments made by a few individuals in particular. He told them to make sure they show him with respect, assumedly in response to fans disappointed he wouldn't sign their autograph. "I said, 'I'll see you when I get out,'" he said. "Which part of that don't y'all understand? You feel me? Or not, we could do it another way. Either way, I can do it both ways, y'all."

While Washington appeared annoyed by the interaction, he's got plenty to smile about right now. On the immediate horizon, he's set to appear in Ridley Scott's Gladiator II—a role he recently remarked involved him "putting this dress on, these rings, and ... going crazy"—and he's reuniting with director Spike Lee for High and Low, a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 classic.

His son Malcolm Washington is also set to release his directorial debut, The Piano Teacher, on November 22. The project stars Malcolm's brother John David Washington alongside Samuel L Jackson, Erykah badu, and Michael Potts among others.