Will Smith
Your character in I Am Legend
is the last man on earth. Is that
your worst nightmare?
First of all, even trying to get your head around
being alone in New York City is difficult; the
idea that even when it’s the most quiet, it’s
actually not quiet. There’s a buzz, there’s a
hum, there are horns in the distance – all of
that. I grew up in a house with three brothers
and sisters, so there have been very few
moments in my life where I’ve been alone.
My family stayed in LA for the first couple of
weeks [of shooting], so I was in an apartment
by myself and it was very new. I realised how
much I neglect my feminine side [laughs].
I got in touch with another side of myself.
Q
So are you a person who has
to have company?
I am better at being alone when
away from home. I actually love to be on tour
and go back to my room and be by myself.
I love 14-hour flights. Nobody is talking to
me, I love getting into that space.
Q
Talking of 14-hour flights, what
do you do if one of your movies
comes on?
I was on a flight from LA to Sydney and Hitch
was on and it’s one of my favourite movies.
I put on the headphones and watched it. There
was a lady next to me who probably refused to
watch it because I was sitting there. I laughed
at one part and she looked at me, thinking
that she didn’t believe I was laughing at my
own movie! But usually I pretend I am asleep.
Q
You had your biggest
opening night at the box
office with I Am Legend.
Did you feel a lot of pressure
leading up to the release?
Definitely. It was the combination
of the amount of work we put in and
the way that we decided to do it. We
employed a different spirit that you
usually don’t have in filmmaking. We all
took artistic leaps. But then there was
the added element of it just being me
on camera for the first hour of the film.
I took it that if this was rejected, people
were actually rejecting me more than
not liking a film. So it was a huge relief
for me when we got the numbers.
Q
This is the fifth time you’ve saved
the world. What is it about those
kind of roles that you like?
Well, it’s funny that people think I’ve saved
the world in this and yet everybody’s dead
[laughs]. [My character] Robert Neville failed
miserably! As far as my attraction to these
Q
24 / www.ShortList.com
Questionnaire
Doug would finish the
marathon if it killed him
The Hollywood actor, occasional rapper and box-office
banker takes a walk on the dark side for I Am Legend
“It’s just me on camera for the
first hour. If this was rejected, it
would be people rejecting me”
In the future, there
will still be C&A
kind of roles, Star Wars just really spun me
out as a child. I couldn’t believe that someone
created that. It’s like, “Where do you even pull
Jabba The Hut from?” So I’ve always been
inspired. I love science-fiction movies and I’ve
been chasing Star Wars my entire career.
You clearly have to keep in shape
for these kind of roles. Do you
secretly long to let the belly go?
Everything in your life begins with physical
conditioning. I love eating sweets but I feel like
the quality of my parenting, my relationship
with my wife and all the interactions I have
in my life start with being in great physical
condition. I just believe that it’s the beginning
of finding the happiness and the things that I
desire. But also when the ladies go, “Woooo,”
that turns me on a little bit! I like that [laughs].
Q
With The Pursuit Of Happyness
and I Am Legend you seem to
be moving away from comedy.
Are you actively looking for roles outside
of your comfort zone?
I’m looking for things that are different. I’ve
been successful with films that are territory
that I can’t return to. The success of Men In
Black was based on that time and my age at
that point. I feel that if I don’t advance and
expand, people will reject the work that I
do. I’m also intrigued with the idea and the
relationship of trauma and story. I’ve been
working on a film called Hancock, which
comes out in July, about an alcoholic
superhero. It’s a dark comedy but it takes
that same idea and starts with a trauma and
builds the story and the character out of it.
Q
Is it true that you wouldn’t want
to be president of the US?
It’s not a good job. When Arnold
Schwarzenegger was an actor he had a 90
per cent approval rating. In the bipartisan
system of politics you immediately start at
50 per cent approval rating. For me I prefer
the world of possibilities. I feel like that when
you put something artistic into the world it’s
more of a seed that can grow than what you
do in politics. By the time your seed grows in
politics you’ve been impeached [laughs].
Q
Who are your own legends in real
life? What about your good friend
David Beckham?
I’m very partial to Muhammad Ali and Nelson
Mandela. As for Beckham, he has legend
potential. But we’re all too young to be legends
yet. Give us 15 or 20 years and then decide.
Q
I Am Legend is available on Blu-ray
and DVD from 21 April
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