Isaiah Washington stars as Congressman Daryl Smith in his latest film “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust.” The film is about a compelling political hopeful whose platform advocates for “religious freedom” and ignites a national debate. The film will be in theaters on September 12.
Washington is praised for his multi-award-winning performance as Dr. Preston Burke in the Shonda Rhimes ABC drama series “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Early in his career, Washington gained notoriety for his roles in the Spike Lee films “Get On the Bus,” “Crooklyn,” “Girl 6,” and “Clockers.” He also had a pivotal role in the CW science fiction series “The 100.”
Texas born and raised, Isaiah Washington is the fourth in a lineage of family members who had the name before him. However, he said the invocation of the name does not come without its own dark history.
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“My biological father was not a great father for a number of reasons, but I’m not going to get into that,” said Washington.
“He was very abusive – abusive to my mother. She warned him that if he didn’t change his ways, there would be some woman who was not going to take it from him.”
Washington said after his biological parents divorced, his mother remarried, and his father began a relationship with a woman who would become his common-law wife.
“When she [father’s common-law wife] defended herself and murdered him from one of his attacks – I found out about it… on Channel 13 news,” said Washington.
“I was a child, and when I heard Isaiah Washington was murdered on Lucky St., which is where I grew up… I was like, “whoa.’”
Washington said the event will always be unforgettable, even though he was only 13-years-old when it happened. “I remember my stepfather coming out of the bedroom,” said Washington.
“Apparently he already knew, and my body just went numb.”
From that day forward, Washington vowed to reclaim his name from the event that led to the tragic death of his father by creating a new and affirmative narrative for the name through his work.
“I said, ‘If I ever hear the name Isaiah Washington again in my life, it would be as a famous football player,’” said Washington. “I’m going to make something out of my name. I’m going to make people respect that name.”
Washington said it would become ironic that he would later have his own controversies while on the set of “Grey’s Anatomy,” where Isaiah Washington would become one of the “most hated” names in media – but that is not the focus of the story.
Washington said only God and his faith helped him to overcome those challenging times, and he strives to continue to uplift his name by attaching himself to provocative projects like “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust.”
“This my way to speak to the people,” said Washington.
Washington described his character in “In God We Trust” as a “great man.” Originally introduced in “God’s Not Dead: We The People,” a previous film in the series, Washington said Daryl Smith is “a really smart character.”
“By the time I’ve reached page ten of a script – if I connect with the character, I’ve already said, ‘yes,’ even before I’ve finished the script,” said Washington. “All the things I asked God for came together in one opportunity.”
Washington said when it comes to the political landscape of “In God We Trust,” Smith is “very fair in a time of unfairness.” He said the only other time he felt this positive about a role he was undertaking was Preston Burke in “Grey’s.”
“When it’s all said and done, that character [Burke] is still iconic,” said Washington. “People might say, ‘You’re comparing Daryl Smith to Dr. Burke?’ Absolutely! They’re both not me, but to be able to convey the ideals of a writer, and that’s not who you are – it resonates with people… that means we did our jobs.”
