Forest Whitaker, 63, Finds the Keys to Life’s ‘Good Places’

The Oscar winner shares how he unlocks joy through family and career

Gayle Jo Carter,

AARP

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Published April 11, 2025

forest whitaker in a suit and bowtie on a green background

Marleen Moise/Getty Images

Getting older has its advantages, says Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker, 63: “The best thing is being wise enough to know what the good places are for joy.”

Whitaker’s thriving career remains one of those “good places,” and has been since his film debut as a star football player in the classic ’80s teen coming-of-age film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In the 43 years since, he’s achieved critical acclaim in wildly diverse roles. These include the kidnapped British soldier in 1992’s The Crying Game and Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 2006’s The Last King of Scotland, for which he won a best-actor Oscar.

In his latest starring turn, he reprises his role as Bumpy Johnson for the fourth season of Godfather of Harlem. He plays a complex real-life African American crime boss who was not only a violent gangster but also a poet, chess master, and confidant of Lena Horne, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. The historical drama series returns April 13 on MGM+.

Another joyful place for Whitaker is family. He’s nurtured close relationships with his four children (son Ocean, 34, and daughters Autumn, 33, Sonnet, 28, and True, 26), who follow in their father’s creative footsteps. “All my kids — they’re all artists,” he says.

Whitaker recently spoke to AARP about how he’s adapting to life in his 60s; the pleasure of working with Whoopi Goldberg, 69; and his thoughts about daughter True’s acting debut in The Godfather of Harlem.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you prepare for the role of legendary gangster Bumpy Johnson?

I went to do research. I talked to his daughter, his granddaughter. I talked to a couple of men who were working for Bumpy. I looked for all the photographs I could find. There were really only three photographs I found. And then I tried to pull that into something that felt right for the character, finding his voice, his movements from the only information I got. … I wasn’t thinking about Godfather when I took on Bumpy. I knew I was going to be dealing with criminality, but in the way of how it crosses with civil rights and politics of the day could be really interesting.

Forest Whitaker says winning the best-actor Oscar for playing Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 2006’s “The Last King of Scotland” was a career-changing moment.

.Mary Evans/FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTUR/Courtesy Everett Collection

Is it more difficult to portray real-life people, like Bumpy or Idi Amin?

There’s a responsibility that you have toward the character itself and what you do with it. There’s a few people alive [who are] still affected by what you’re saying. A good thing about playing a real-life character is that you already have a skeleton of what’s been happening in their lives. It’s something you can look at as an outline to then be able to build a character from.

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It was fun to see Whoopi Goldberg back in the new season. How do you like working with her?

I love working with Whoopi. She’s great. When I know I’m in a scene she’s in, I know it's going to be a good day.

What about your daughter True, who made her acting debut in Godfather of Harlem?

It blew me away … I was really surprised. I thought she was going to be one simple character. And Chris [series creator and showrunner Chris Brancato] cast her as a heroin-addicted pregnant girl who was going through withdrawal. I was like, Are you serious? I wouldn’t want to do that. She was listening to heroin addicts, trying to pull it off. And she pulled it off.

Forest Whitaker says he loves working with Whoopi Goldberg in “Godfather of Harlem.” "When I know I’m in a scene she’s in, I know it's going to be a good day," he says.

Linda Kallerus/MGM+

Did you see her acting talent when she was growing up?

I guess I did in some ways. She comes from a storytelling mother [Whitaker’s ex-wife Keisha Nash, who died in 2023] — just vibrant. She always takes the center, too. All my kids — they’re all artists. One of my daughters is a singer [Sonnet], one is a writer [Autumn] and my son [Ocean] is making documentaries.

Maybe it’s in the genes. Were your parents creative?

No, I’m actually a first-generation artist. I’m the first one. They were either teaching in front of classes or being on pulpits. That’s where my family comes from. In a way, they’re always kind of front and center.

Who were your inspirations when you first got into acting?

As a young Black kid, Sidney Poitier was someone to be looked up to. There was something about him — there was a mystique about him. One of my favorite movies is a movie he did called Brother John, where he goes into a town and they say, “Hey, where do you come from?” And they put him in jail and then he disappears. It’s a really interesting portrayal, and I really like it. I like the way he carried himself.

Any actors you’d still like to work with or reunite with?

Daniel Day [-Lewis, 67]. I haven’t worked with him yet. Fortunately, I got a chance to work with Denzel [Washington, 70] in The Great Debaters. There’s a young actor, Jeremy Strong. I really enjoyed his performance in that Trump movie [The Apprentice]. It was really special. Daniel Kaluuya. If we could find the right vehicle, it would be really good to do something with him.

Did your life change after you won the Oscar?

Yeah, I think so. Not abruptly, because I was already doing movies that I wanted to do. I was already playing some interesting characters, starting with The Crying Game, but I think Bird [Whitaker’s 1988 portrayal of troubled jazz great Charlie Parker]. And Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and The Butler. Last King changed people’s perception of me, the breadth of my capacity to emote with power and to look for the dark side.

What’s the best thing about getting older, and what's the worst thing?

The best thing is being wise enough to know what the good places are for joy. The bad things are from where we came from, from being alive to the death, we start to realize it more — the pains of the body, the absences of the mind.

Are you doing anything else different as you get into your 60s?

I’m trying to keep my mind fresh, taking a break to be able to be inspired. I think the thing that happens sometimes is a lack of inspiration in what you’re trying to achieve. You have to be rejuvenated to do that kind of passionate work.

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Gayle Jo Carter is a former entertainment editor at USA WEEKEND, who during her 30-year reporting and editing career, has worked at USA TODAY, Voice of America and Feature Story News. When not interviewing high-profile people, she’s teaching reformer Pilates classes and doing her best to raise two empathetic, curious, healthy young people to adulthood.