Will Smith Stays Grounded

[Ale]

"I Am Legend" On Screen, Family Guy At Home

New York, Nov.19, 2007

(CBS) Will Smith lights up the cover of the December issue of "Men's Vogue" with the honest expression that is a reflection of his down-to-earth personality, a rarity on the Hollywood scene.

He also makes a frank admission that he's counting on the success of his latest film, "I Am Legend."

"It's gonna be real scary if "I Am Legend" doesn't work, because I got everything I wanted [in a film]," Smith told the magazine.

Smith's new film, due in theaters Dec. 14, is a post-apocalyptic thriller about the sole survivor of a man-made incurable outbreak that swarms New York City.

While working in Hollywood, Smith has stayed grounded and under the celebrity radar, due to his solid marriage with actress Jada Pinkett Smith and, he says, his friendship with fellow actor Tom Cruise.

"We push one another to be better…There's a comprehension of what each of us goes through that everybody else can't understand," Smith said. "I've studied Buddhism and Hinduism and I've studied Scientology through Tom. And nobody's saying anything different!...I don't think that because the word someone uses for 'spirit' is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different."

Smith admits that it's not easy to maintain a happy marriage in Hollywood, and that you have to invest all you've got into making it work. "Counseling, individual learning, books, conflict resolution," Smith confided. "It is a full time job to try and be happy. People tend to think that they can go to work for 50 or 60 hours a week and then come home and their relationship is just supposed to work."

The couple wed in November of 1997, when Smith was 29 and Pinkett Smith was 26.

He is not much of a figure on the party circuit. "Will literally takes three sips and he's buzzed," says his "Hitch" co-star Eva Mendes. "It's not even like three sips of whiskey; it's literally a piña colada or a daiquiri--he loves girly drinks--and he's down."

Other Hollywood stars have taken notice of Smith's one-of-a-kind demeanor.

"I don't say this kind of stuff about people, but he's godly," says Smith's "John Hancock" co-star, Charlize Theron.

Spotlights illuminate the Brooklyn Bridge in New York during the filming of Will Smith's new movie, "I Am Legend," on Jan. 23, 2007. Local residents were warned prior to the filming not to panic if they see Army helicopters and vehicles in the area; these are only part of the movie, which has been filming in a number of Manhattan locations for several months.

Actor Will Smith is seen on the set of his new movie, "I Am Legend," which being filmed underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Jan. 23, 2007. Coast Guard and Army helicopters and military vehicles are helping to create the war-zone action for the week-long shoot that is expected to cause intermittent afternoon traffic delays in the area.

Actors are seen on the set of Will Smith's new movie, "I Am Legend," during a shoot underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Jan. 23, 2007. Local residents were warned prior to the filming not to panic if they see Army helicopters and vehicles in the area; they are only part of the filming of the science-fiction thriller, which is due to be released in late 2007.

Extras are seen walking past a military Humvee during the filming of "I Am Legend" in New York on Jan. 23, 2007. The movie, starring Will Smith, is about the last human in New York. The film is planning to stage the evacuation of Manhattan by barge this week. Police and Coast Guard members will be providing security for the scene, which may involve about 1,000 extras and a large crew.

Oscar nominee Will Smith is seen on the set of "I Am Legend," which is being filmed underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, on Jan. 23, 2007. Smith plays the last person in New York, who has to deal with nightly attacks from the rest of the world - all of which has been transformed into bloodthirsty vampires. The Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting says the movie will employ about 3,000 New Yorkers

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