Denzel Washington's wife blames 'narrow-minded people' for his Tonys snub

Denzel Washington's wife Pauletta Washington has blamed "narrow-minded people" for his Tonys snub.

Fans were shocked when the latest Broadway revival of Othello, starring Denzel and Jake Gyllenhaal, received no attention from Tony Awards voters earlier this month.

Speaking to People and other reporters, actress Pauletta reacted to the surprising snub on Wednesday.

"Now see, that's not something you want to ask me," the actress told the journalist with a laugh. "I can't say that I was surprised that they didn't."

"In my family we've been through this a lot of times. A lot of times," she continued. "And I think I can speak honestly and truthfully and artistically that it was denied, you know, so you wonder why. But we don't have to wonder why: It's narrow-minded people that are in charge of making decisions and judgments."

Although it didn't receive any Tony nominations this year, the revival of William Shakespeare's tragedy recently broke box office records, grossing $2.8 million (£2.1 million) in one week, the highest weekly gross for a Broadway play in history.

However, the production has also been criticised for its high ticket prices, with some going for as much as $900 (£680).

Pauletta stated that the backlash over the prices may have a contributing factor, adding, "That's the bottom line. And that's a part of it. And you know that."

The Reasonable Doubt star also noted that her family are each other's harshest critics, saying, "In our family, we're the toughest critics for each other because we are on display, so we know we have to be on the mark at all times. So the work is put in."

Pauletta and Denzel have four children, John David, Olivia, Katia and Malcolm, who are prominent in the film industry.