Katie Couric has interviewed tons of people during her time as a television host, but there’s is one celebrity interview that continues to stand out in her mind years later for all the wrong reasons.

During an interview with the “Everything Iconic with Danny Pellegrino” podcast this week, Couric recalled interviewing Hollywood A-list star Denzel Washington for his 2004 movie The Manchurian Candidate. The “Dateline NBC” interview quickly went off the rails when Couric asked Washington if “Hollywood folks should stick to acting.”

“I don’t know what Hollywood folks are, first of all,” Washington fired back at the time, according to Fox News. “Hollywood is a town that has some stars on the sidewalk. I don’t know anybody from there. So, I don’t — that’s like saying — calling you a ‘type’ of folks. I’m not a Hollywood folk. I don’t know who they are.”

Couric began to rephrase the question by saying, “Are you one of those people that –” but Washington interrupted her.

“Ah, there you go. Am I one of those people? Hmmm, isn’t that interesting?” he interjected, at which point Couric said “Oh, stop, stop, stop.”

“No, don’t stop. I heard what you just said. ‘Am I one of those people?’ No, I’m not,” Washington replied.

“No, are you an actor who would rather not –” Couric said, trying to rephrase her question again, but she was interrupted for a second time.

“No, I’m not that either. I’m a human being. My job is acting,” Washington said.

While appearing on the podcast, Couric opened up about how “uncomfortable” the interview made her feel.

“I think he totally misconstrued a question I asked and kind of jumped all over me,” she explained. “It was so uncomfortable because he was doing it with Meryl Streep…”

Couric remembered thinking at the time, “I don’t think I said anything wrong… I don’t know what happened.”

“I think he must have been having a really bad day because he later wrote a really big check to my colon cancer organization, which I thought was super sweet,” she added. “I love him, I admire him so much. He’s one of my favorite actors, but I remember walking out and feeling really kind of shaken that he had kind of gone after me in a way that was completely, weirdly uncalled for.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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