Will Smith is an actor who strives for more than just fame and fortune. He strongly desires to portray characters with a “higher calling,” and his career is a complex blend of depth, purpose, and contradiction.
The actor faced a dilemma when trying to find meaningful roles. Smith found it ironic that he ended up in a critically panned superhero movie, which went against his search for noble characters.
Will Smith’s Revelation on Method Acting
Will Smith has perfected the art of guiding readers through the complex emotional landscape of a character’s mind. In reality, though, he gleaned a profound truth about life from the Six Degrees of Separation set.
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For Smith, the film marked a turning point in his career and his discovery of the balance between fully inhabiting a role and losing himself. In an interview with Esquire, the actor discussed the emotional journey he experienced while playing Will Smith’s role in Six Degrees of Separation. The interview provided interesting insights into his experience.
The story shared by the actor about his character’s unexpected emotions towards Stockard Channing’s character was very touching. In a surprising turn of events, Smith develops a romantic attachment to Channing’s character in the movie.
“With Six Degrees of Separation, I got a taste early of the dangers of going too far for a character. My character was in love with Stockard Channing’s character. And I actually fell in love with Stockard Channing.”
This realization was a turning point for Smith, who decided to steer clear of the murky waters of Method acting.
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Will Smith Plays Roles With A Higher Calling
Informed by the morals his grandmother and mother instilled in him, Will Smith has made it a point only to play roles with a “higher calling” in their lives.
“The quality of your life was determined by the quality of your service. I’m attracted to characters who have a higher calling, who want to serve in ways where you get beyond the comfortable service and you get into the space of the sacrificial. And I really am attracted to characters who just want to do things that brighten the world. That probably is the central aspect of my personality. If you started chipping things away, if there were one thing that was really at the core, it is trying to be like my grandmother. Her entire life was in service at Resurrection Baptist Church. And she was just always happy.”
The Hollywood celebrity’s philosophy is evident in their preference for protagonists who strive to serve beyond their own comfort zones and into the realm of selflessness. This resonates with Smith, as he shares his grandmother’s commitment to making a positive impact on the world.
“I just never will be, and I have to get comfortable with waking up every day and trying to move some little increment closer to the person I have always dreamed of being.”
Smith has a history of working with weighty characters, but his filmography includes the mysterious Suicide Squad. This foray into the superhero genre seems at odds with his desire to give his characters a higher purpose, so he usually avoids it.
It is perplexing that the movie has been negatively reviewed as one of the worst superhero films in recent times. However, Smith’s unconventional character choices showcase the diversity of his career and add an interesting dynamic to the superhero genre.
Source: Esquire
