Samuel L. Jackson Rejects Notion That Denzel Washington's Sons Are 'Nepo Kids'

Veteran actor Samuel L. Jackson believes that Denzel Washington 's sons, John David Washington and Malcolm Washington , have earned their spots in Hollywood.

During an interview with Extra to promote upcoming musical drama The Piano Lesson, Jackson seemingly rejected claims that Washington's sons have benefitted from nepotism.

John David Washington stars opposite Jackson in the film, Malcom Washington's directorial debut, which arrives to theaters on Nov. 8. John David Washington and Jackson were also in the Broadway adaptation of The Piano Lesson in 2022.

"Being around those kids and watching them go through their early lives as athletes and thinking that that's what it was going to be for them and all of a sudden, they both turn out to be artists ... [It's] kind of not hard to see how that would happen," Jackson said at the beginning of the video below.

"Having a village—like we were talking about the village we had when we were growing up, the Black people that looked after us. Your moms, your friends—everywhere you went somebody knew you," he continued. "So they are those kids too, but when they make that choice, there are a lot of people that they can turn to to get advice from about, 'How how do I approach this? and 'How do I navigate this that and the other?'"

Jackson added that people can call Washington's sons "nepo kids" but that the men "work very hard to become who they are."

"You're a nepo kid, you deserve a shot. If your folks are good at it, well, let's see if you are, too," he continued. "And fortunately for them, they are. So hopefully, that's a thing that buoys other people who want to come through that whole kind of lineage thing."

John David, 40, and Malcolm Washington, 33, are Denzel Washington and actress Pauletta Washington's only sons. They also have two sisters, actress Olivia Washington, 33, and producer Katia Washington, 37.

John David and Olivia have become recognizable Hollywood performers, Denzel and Washington previously shared that he's "happy" that people will see his youngest son's directorial debut.

"I'm happy that people will get a chance to see what a filmmaker Malcolm is. I'm excited about our future together with [playwright] August Wilson," Washington told People in September.

Following its theatrical run, The Piano Lesson will arrive to Netflix on Nov. 22.