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.

"For about 15 years, from 1999 to 2014, when I put the beverage down, I was bitter," the legendary actor shares.

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. Washington was already a three-time Oscar nominee and one-time winner when his performance as Rubin Carter in “The Hurriance” landed him in the Oscar for best actor