Denzel Washington Turns Boring Old Holiday Cards Into Some Great Theater With Jimmy Fallon

Denzel Washington transformed The Tonight Show stage into a Shakespearean theater on Monday night.

When Washington stopped by the show during his press tour for Fences the movie he stars in alongside Viola Davis, Jimmy Fallon asked the actor to take part in his ongoing project called “Greeting Card Monologues,” where actors offer dramatic interpretations of the text inside Hallmark cards.

The Academy Award-winning actor was up for the challenge, donning his reading glasses, showcasing his British accent, even bursting into song on occasion. Using the impressive skill set that let a solitary tear run down his cheek in Glory, Washington was able to recite lines from a dog-themed birthday card with a straight face: “Another birthday, and you look happier, sexier and in better shape than ever…b-tch.”

Washington’s interpretation of the cards was so moving that Fallon wasn’t the only one trying to hold back tears during the performance.