Denzel Washington Opens Up About Hating His Awesome Name as a Kid on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

Denzel Washington chops it up with Jimmy Kimmel about hating his name as a kid and his newfound love of horses.

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Fresh off delivering an inspiring message for everyone still laughing at the Uncle Denzel meme, Denzel Washington stopped by Jimmy Kimmel's late-night HQ to chat about his initial reluctance to embrace the Denzel name and his newfound love of horses. Though rocking a name like Denzel certainly seems like something everyone would want to do, Washington told Kimmel Tuesday he wasn't always so stoked on it.

"You know what, when I was a little kid in school I didn't want to be Denzel," Washington told Kimmel's audience. And why, exactly? According to the living legend himself, it all comes down to the pesky routine of roll call. "You're sitting in there and they call everybody's name," Washington remembered. "Mikey? Here. Joey? Here. Billy? Here. Ben… Zen…Zendel?"

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But the worst fumbling of a young Denzel's name, the actor revealed Tuesday, was when someone mistakenly called him Ginger Ale. Yes, Ginger Ale as in the carbonated beverage laced with ginger.

Washington's latest movie, The Magnificent Seven, hits theaters Friday. As things like cowboy hats and horses are a huge part of Antoine Fuqua's film, Washington had to endure some serious training ahead of the shoot. "Including the filming, I was probably on [a horse] close to a year, maybe 8 months," Washington said. "They picked a nice, calm horse for me. You don't want a young horse, they're too feisty. You want an older fellow." Washington added that he loved the process of learning to ride, and actually became hella close with his horse buddy.

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