John David Washington interview

“Where did he come from?” is what most people said when they saw the standout John David Washington on the hit HBO series “Ballers.”

But many just found out that he has legendary greatness in his genes.

The 31-year-old actor slightly resembles his father, actor Denzel Washington, with an updated contemporary 2015 swagger. According to twitter, this is a fact that apparently many fans of the show just learned. John David Washington became a hot topic on the internet this week, with his name among the top-searched terms on Google.

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Judging by the reactions on Twitter, many people are just learning that the Ballers star, who plays wide receiver Ricky Jerret, is related to Denzel.

It turns out that not only is John David Washington the son of Denzel, but he was a baller in real life as well. The Morehouse graduate was also a football standout with legendary talent, and even had a cup of coffee in the NFL, playing for the St. Louis Rams in the 2006 season.

Being the son of a famous father wasn’t always great, John David said. Once opposing players found out he was Denzel’s son, they used that as fuel to talk trash against him.

“Usually it’s ‘yo mama this, or yo mama that. But on the field it was your Daddy’s this and that. They tried to use my father’s name against me. Football players are creative when they’re in the moment.”

But he didn’t let that stop him.

After his brief stint in the NFL, he went on to play in the European Football League for Germany’s Hamburg Sea Devils followed by four years for the California Redwoods in the United Football League until it folded in 2012, according to pajiba.com.

And that, no doubt, is how he built his fabulous body, which makes him perfect for the HBO show that just…

… finished airing it’s first season with great reviews.

From running to weight lifting, the young star grew his body into football shape over the years and still keeps it tight now for the show and just overall health.

One of his rules to live by: “What you put in your body, you get out.”

John David Washington is no stranger to the big screen as well. He made his movie debut as a child — thanks largely to his famous dad. At the age of 9, Washington played a student in a Harlem classroom in the classic 1992 Spike Lee joint starring his father Denzel Washington as Malcolm X. In 2010, he worked with his father again, co-producing the post-apocalyptic thriller Book of Eli.

Here’s a clip of the young star in action on HBO’s “Ballers”

We look forward to seeing more from this young talent. Who knows there may be even a father and son collaboration in the works (fingers crossed).