With kids grown, Denzel Washington wants more stage roles

NEW YORK (AP) — Now that his children are grown, you can expect to see a lot more of Denzel Washington on Broadway.

The Tony- and Oscar-winning actor, who is set to portray Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberry's classic play "A Raisin in the Sun," is lately finding more time for theater work.

"Up until nine years ago, I hadn't been here in 15 years, from 1990 until 2005. Basically, that was because of raising my kids, my wife and I," Washington said Tuesday.

He added: "It's impossible to commute from California to New York, or New York to California doing an eight-show week schedule. So once they got old enough, I could start coming back."

Washington last appeared on Broadway in the 2010 revival of August Wilson's "Fences," where he picked up a best actor Tony.

Before coming back to Broadway in 2005 to play Brutus in "Julius Caesar," Washington hadn't appeared on a Broadway stage since 1988.

"I've been back three times in nine years. And I'll be back again, hopefully," Washington said.