If you’ve happened to take a look at Denzel Washington’s right hand, you won’t notice anything different. But as the actor told Graham Norton in 2014 (via YouTube), if he spreads his hand out his pinky finger rather dramatically pops out of place. Having injured it “so many times” playing American football, Washington’s pinky finger ended up being permanently dislocated. “It’s happened so many times over the years that if I just open my hand like that, it would pop that far,” Washington explained after Norton showed a pretty gnarly picture of Washington showing Meryl Streep his hidden talent.
Eventually, the actor had the issue surgically fixed — to the point that the joint feels like “a gummy bear” now. But before “the magic finger” disappeared for good, Washington would often entertain his kids’ friends with it. “When my kids were young, they would ask me, ‘Daddy, could you show my friends the magic finger?'” and, understandably, they would react with terrifying glee.
