Will Smith is on a hot streak this year, with his latest film, Ali, earning him an Oscar nomination, and proving to be a hit with the public and the critics alike. Speaking to reporters on Monday, before the film’s Australian premiere, the former Fresh Prince Of Bel Air talked about his Oscar chances and the surprising key to his success.
The Independence Day star admitted that when he signed on to make Michael Mann's Muhammad Ali biopic, nearly everyone thought it was “the worst career move I ever made”. But it seems Will is having the last laugh. “Two years later,” he says, “I’m sitting in Australia and I’m an Oscar nominee.”
Will says he owes his success to what his wife once called his “brilliantly naive” state of mind, which led him to take on the challenge of the playing the legendary boxer on the big screen. The rapper-turned-comedian-turned actor, who last year revealed he thought he could one day be president of the US, told reporters with a smile: “There’s a wonderful delusional quality I posess that allows me to attempt things that are really bad ideas.”
With his first Oscar nomination under his belt, Will is now thinking about his chances of actually taking home the coveted Oscar statue – though he recognises, of course, he has some tough competition. “I’ve got my fingers crossed,” he says, adding with a laugh, “I only wish Russell Crowe hadn’t made a damned movie this year.”
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Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
