Focus
In this drama directed by John Requa, Smith plays Nicky a con artist who becomes romantically involved with his partner while teaching her the tricks of the trade. He ends the relationship when she becomes uncomfortably close. Co-starring: Robbie Margot, Rodrigo Santoro, Adrian Martinez and B.D Wong.
You can’t create chemistry, you either have it or your don’t. It was pretty instantaneous. The second she walked in I was like, “Uh huh…” It was really palpable. I’ve never used that word in public before – that felt good! It was the correct usage, right? Ok, it was palpable!
On Air interview
Seacrest interviews Smith during On Air With Ryan Seacrest about his role in the film Focus.
When I first got the screenplay for Focus and then Margot got cast and Jada looked up Margot online and saw that she was 23-years-old and in perfect condition, Jada looked at me and said, ‘Boy you need to go to the gym right now’…He (Apollo Robbins) had circumstances in the past that he wouldn’t discuss, he’s turned over a new leaf, but he is an absolute genius. What he was explaining to us about the concept of Focus. He said, ‘Ok, this is what we do,’ and he had me walk into a store and steal a pack of gum and walk out. It’s like jumping out of an airplane. It’s such a bizarre thrill.
Focus
In this romantic comedy drama, Smith plays Nicky Spurgeon, a con man. He falls in love Jess (MArgotRobbie) and begins to teach her the tricks of the trade but he breaks the relationship off when it gets too close. Three years later she shows Nicky how cons are done. Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Co-starring Rodrigo Santoro. Robbie:
We started improvising a little bit, Will said something and I called him a d**k,” she recalls. “Apparently when he walked out he said: ‘I like her. I think she’s the right one.’ They were like, ‘you like her because she called you a d**k’. It ended up becoming a running joke in the film.”
Beatbox, rap
Smith and Fallon beatbox It Takes Two with the help of the iPad app Loopy. Fallon:
We have a lot in common. We both love music. We like rap music. You’re a famous rapper. I’m a classically trained beatboxer.
Ice Bucket Challenge: Will Smith
Smith acceptes the Ice Bucket Challenge and nominates Jay-Z and Beyonce.
After Earth
Smith and his son Jayden star in After Earth, a sci-fi action film about a father and son crash landing on an abandoned, post-human Earth. A major theme is Will Smith’s character’s ability to completely mask his fear from the creatures they were fighting before they crashed on Earth.
That’s what I wanted the metaphor of this movie to be. A father having to watch as his son makes mistakes in the world, and in an extreme place of life or death. It is the excruciating parental pain of having to let your kids go, and you just have to hope that the lessons you’ve instilled will kick in at the right time.
Graham Norton Show appearance
Smith appears on The Graham Norton Show with son Jaden. Will and Jaden rap the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with the help of special guest DJ Jazzy Jeff. Ribeiro also dances. This is the first time Will and Jaden rap together in public. Will on Jaden:
We have a studio that he works in, and he’s a very good rapper.
Will Smith interview
Seacrest interviews Smith during On Air With Ryan Seacrest and asks what is his greatest acting role.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air‘ around the world it’s like there’s something about that show that has connected with people in a really, really deep way.
Men in Black 3
Smith returns in Men in Black 3. Agent J (Smith) goes back in time to 1969 to prevent Agent K, played by Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin, from being killed by a Boglodite named Boris the Animal. When speaking of his idea to cast someone else as a young K:
You know, what was exciting to me, also, about doing this is how risky and dangerous and almost foolish it was to try to make Men In Black and introduce a new actor to play the, you know…
Seven Pounds
Smith appears alongside Rosario Dawson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper, Octavia Spencer and Woody Harrelson in Seven Pounds. The film is about a man (Smith) who wants to atone for the deaths of seven people in a car crash, including his fiancee, as a result of texting and driving.
Usually with the films that I make there are ideas that I connect to, but lately I’ve been dealing with the bittersweet in life because it feels more natural. You don’t ever get it really the way you want in life. That really fascinates me. As an actor, there are certain parts of a character that you create, and you train yourself to have those reactions and then it becomes hard to stop them when the role is over. You have to retrain yourself. My character in this film is like hot grits. You know you can’t shake them off and when you do, it hurts.
Parade cover
0 0 Alyssa DeBoer Alyssa DeBoer2015-01-22 01:43:412015-01-22 16:26:27Parade coverHancock
Columbia Pictures presents Hancock, starring Will Smith as a drunken, amnesiac superhero. It centers around him trying to change his bad image. In the process, he meets another person with superhero powers, who is paired with him, and they are the last of their kind.
There’s a natural narcotic my brain must pump, because negativity doesn’t last. It’s strange to play a guy like Hancock, who can’t find something to feel good about. That’s the opposite of who I am
American Cinematographer cover
Smith appears on the cover of the February 2008 issue of American Cinematographer magazine.
First Singapore cover
Smith appears on the cover of the December 2007 issue of First Singapore magazine.
I Am Legend
0 CommentsSmith plays Robert Neville a brilliant scientist who appears to be the lone survivor of a virus that has destroyed mankind. Neville spends his days sending out radio messages hoping for some kind of a response while avoiding the ‘Infected.’ He believes using his own blood as a vaccine might reverse the affects of the virus. Co-starring Alice Braga, Willow Smith, and Salli Richardson.
Shooting in New York, especially something on this level, is difficult. I would say that percentage-wise, it’s the most amounts of middle fingers I’ve ever received in my career. I was like, I’m used to people liking me. When I come to town it’s fun, so I thought ‘Middle fingers?’ I was starting to think ‘f-you’ was my name.
Black Enterprise cover
Smith and Lassiter appear on the cover of the March 2007 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.
Ebony cover
Will and Jaden appear on the cover of the January 2007 issue of Ebony magazine.
The Pursuit of Happyness
In the biopic drama directed by Gabriele Muccino, Smith plays Chris Gardner, a poverty stricken salesman who has custody of his son. Living on the streets and eating from soup kitchens, he gets the opportunity to be an intern as a stockbroker, eventually gaining the position with the company and becoming a millionaire. Costars Thandie Newton and Jaden Smith. Smith on Gardner:
We looked in one anothers eyes. I said, ‘I’m going to learn your story and I’m going to tell your story.’
The Pursuit of Happyness
0 CommentsWill Smith stars as Chris Gardner, a down-on-his-luck father who accepts an unpaid intern position at a prestigious stock brokerage firm in hopes of giving his son a better life. Despite having to spend nights in a homeless shelter with his five-year-old son (played by Smith’s son Jaden), Chris never falters in his determination to do everything in his power to make sure his son knows how much he’s loved. With Thandie Newton.
When I saw that 20/20 piece, ‘Chris Gardner walks through and retraces the steps’. There is a segment where he goes into the actual bathroom that he slept in with his son. I was like, ‘I’m making that movie.’ Then eventually I met with Chris. He was actually writing the book while we were shooting the movie. He would be on the set three, four days a week and every week he’d give me 10 pages, just run me through some of the ideas.