According to Goalcast, Washington's father was a preacher. He took care of two churches, as well as his family. As a teenager, Washington witnessed his father and mother split and, ultimately, divorce. The actor comments, "My parents were like night and day...She’s urban, raised in Harlem. My father was...a country boy raised on a farm in Virginia."
The mentioned article shares that although Washington didn't get along well with his father, even being "kicked out" of his house for being "just bad", he still acknowledges the example his father displayed. Washington states, "My father was a decent man. He was a very spiritual man and a gentleman."
As a father today, Washington reflects many of the qualities he learned from his father. he tells GQ, "One of the things that saddens me the most about my people is fathers that don’t take care of their sons and daughters...Take responsibility...Look in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do better?’"
