Will Smith Tavis Smiley Interview

[Hero1]

Transcript: Will Smith
Tavis Smiley: Good evening from Los Angeles, I'm Tavis Smiley. Tonight, one of the biggest stars in all of Hollywood, actor Will Smith joins us. It wouldn't be summer without a Will Smith blockbuster, and tomorrow his latest film "I, Robot" hits theaters. We'll get to that and a whole lot more, I suspect, with Mr. Smith. We're glad you've joined us. That's all coming up right now.

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Will Smith
Learn more about this guest.
Tavis: Music, television, film. I'm not sure I can name one person in all of show business who's enjoyed more success in all 3 of the genres than Will Smith. I ain't mad at you, big Willie. Tomorrow, Friday, his latest summer blockbuster opens in theaters nationwide. The film is called "I, Robot," as if you didn't know--billboards all over the place. A sci-fi thriller based on a 1950 short story collection by Isaac Asimov. Here is a scene now from "I, Robot."

>> You were startled by a Jack-in-the-Box.

>> Doc!

>> Deactivate.

>> Let him go.

>> It's not going to hurt us. I gave you an order.

>> He's not listening right now, lady.

>> Vicky, seal the lab.

>> No, Vicky, leave it--

Tavis: Mr. Smith.

Will Smith: Mr. Tavis Smiley, good day, sir.

Tavis: How you doing, man?

Will: Man, it is all gravy.

Tavis: Nice to see you.

Will: You, too.

Tavis: You were laughing before we came on the air. You better come correct this summer, 'cause "Spider-man" has put some heat on you. Michael Moore documentary's put some heat on you.

Will: Documentary? The first time ever a documentary is at number one.

Tavis: It opens tomorrow. How you feeling?

Will: Uh, you know, see, this is the thing, man. It's rough being big Will, you know what I mean? I've been out there by myself so many years.

Tavis: All these summers.

Will: I've been out there by myself. I welcome the company.

Tavis: Ha ha ha ha! I ain't mad at you. Bring it on.

Will: Bring it on. Put it right here. Put it all right here. Put it all right here.

Tavis: How did you decide what you're going to do for a summer blockbuster? I opened the show making the point--I wasn't being funny, either--that every summer, to your point, you come correct every summer, you're always in these blockbusters. I mean, how do you keep topping yourself? How do you know, when these scripts come across your desk, this is the blockbuster that I want out summer '04?

Will: Well, that's a good question, Tavis, actually. I'm glad you asked it.

Tavis: That's why I asked it, Will.

Will: Ha ha ha ha! No, usually, um, what I look at is, I break a script down in 2 pieces, uh, the big story and the small story. And the big story is generally what you sell in the trailer: The robots come and take over the world, you know, is the big story. Then I look at the one that really sells me and the one that really makes people say a movie is great is the small story, and that's "What is the journey of the individual character?" And, generally, the big story is the flash, and the small story is the substance. So that's kind of what I look for, that you want to have a very sufficient big story and an incredible small story when you go into that summer blockbuster.

Tavis: Now the last time we talked, for television at least, ahem, you were doing, I believe--it was "Ali." You had done "Ali." Now, for "Ali" you put some of your money into the project.

Will: Oh, yeah.

Tavis: Did you put some money into this project?

Will: You know, there was no real necessity.

Tavis: I'm glad to hear that. Ha ha ha ha! I'm glad to hear that, yeah. I ask that, 'cause this thing looks awfully expensive. I mean, just the technology for this movie.

Will: This movie is a real accomplishment on a lot of levels. Um, worked with the Academy Award-winning writer Akiva Goldsman. He did "Beautiful Mind," and he really spent a lot of time spelling out and creating this story in a way that it's almost like a small art film--the level of detail that's paid to character, the level of attention paid to the interactions and the performances and all that. It was--it was not unlike working on "Ali" and working on "Six Degrees of Separation," where it's all character. And then we have our fearless leader, the director of the film who came in, Alex Proyas. Uh, he did "The Crow" and he did a film called "Dark City." And he came in--so, the combination that we have of the mad visuals and then the level of detail to attention and character--I think it's out of here.

Tavis: Speaking of being out of here, talk to me more about the special effects. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm just looking at the trailers and looking at the billboards and reading about it. The special effects in this thing have to be, like, off the hook.

Will: Yeah. The special effects, the process with the robots is like, um, Gollum, that they used for "Lord of the Rings." So, essentially, why we were able to take the performances, really, to the next level is, generally with special effects, you have a tennis ball on a stick, and that's what you're looking at, you do the whole scenes with that. What they actually did with this is there's an actor named Alan Tudyk who played the main robot. And he had on a green tightsuit. So what it would do is I was actually able to do scenes with a person. So the scenes talking to the robots have a real depth and a real texture to it, and what they did, with the special effects they used, his actual facial expression and they used his eyes and all that. So when you look at the robot, it has, like, it's cool-looking but it's kind of creepy 'cause it's a really human quality that the robot has. So it really took the special effects to the next level playing it off of real human emotion and interaction.

Tavis: See, all these years I've been giving you love 'cause you were all that. I didn't know you were all that and then some.

Will: And then some, and a bag of barbecue chips.

Tavis: And a bag of chips. See, I didn't know you've been acting all this time talking to a tennis ball on a stick.

Will: Oh, man. No, it's usually the worst. The process is really tough. Uh, "Men in Black," "Independence Day," you know, where nothing is there. And with "I, Robot," the robots were actually played by people. So you'd have all of these guys--it looked a little freaky, actually, 'cause you have all these guys running around in these green tightsuits, you know? So it looked a little weird, you know. It looked like it could have been another kind of movie.

Tavis: Another kind of movie, yeah--but what do you make of why we are--and I assume you think we are, 'cause you wouldn't have done this as a blockbuster--with or without your money--I assume you think there's a fascination that we have in today's culture with robotic equipment.

Will: Right.

Tavis: What's the fascination about...as you see it?

Will: The fascination with—in general, I think, with this type of science fiction film is the ability to dream, the ability to imagine, and then to have the technology to see it, and I think it's unlike any other--any other form of artistry, you know? Painting and music gives you, uh, a sort of a taste, but there's something about being able to see a potential future in a film, to go and actually see it played out in live action what it might be like 31 years from now. The film takes place--

Tavis: This movie's set in 2035.

Will: 2035. And I just think that the fascination is it's--one of the most brilliant connections with the human ability to dream is a summer blockbuster, special-effects film. It's seeing things that humankind has only been able to dream about for millions of years.

Tavis: See, I passed on the opportunity to go to the lot to see this in a private screening room, 'cause I know how bad you need the money.

Will: Ha ha ha!

Tavis: So tomorrow--

Will: Good looking out, man.

Tavis: So tomorrow, I'm gonna pay my own money and go see it when it opens tomorrow, but please tell me that when I walk out of there, I'm not gonna have nightmares about what really might happen in the future.

Will: No, it's--it's, um... it's not a dark future.

Tavis: OK.

Will: Um, the beauty of the film, and if--for those of you that are real science fiction fans, the beauty of--of this film is that the majority takes place in your mind, you know? And it's not scary as much as it is to--to think about the potential and the possibilities, and the film is really an... almost an indictment of the arrogance of human logic.

Tavis: Hmm.

Will: To think that we could possibly create a situation or create something that grows and be able to control it logically.

Tavis: Oh, shoot. Big Willy getting philosophical on me up in here.

Will: Don't get me started now. Don't get me started.

Tavis: You're getting philosophical. You're getting too deep. Come up. Come up,

Will: Come up.

Will: Ha ha ha.

Tavis: Come up. Um... I—I suspect, though, that people are gonna--are gonna rush out to see this. How much pressure, though--back to my earlier point--how much pressure, if any, do you put on yourself about what happens when a movie comes out? Like tomorrow night--

Will: Tomorrow night, right.

Tavis: You know, you're gonna be calling your people. They're gonna be calling you saying, "Here's what we did today."

Will: Yeah, all of that. No, they have it down to hours now.

Tavis: Ha ha ha.

Will: You can call and find out--

Tavis: They page you on your two-way?

Will: On the two-way. "It just made $737 in Iowa."

Tavis: Ha ha ha.

Will: You know? Um, this—for me, and--no one...I'm sure a lot of people haven't really thought about this, but this is actually the first-ever Will Smith movie. I've specifically throughout my career not gone out there by myself...like "Will Smith." It's always "Will Smith and Martin Lawrence." "Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones." "Will Smith and Kevin Kline."

Tavis: It's all you now.

Will: This is really the first time that I'm out there by myself. So there's a little bit more pressure on this one.

Tavis: Tell me why that's happened now. Did you plan it this way? Are you becoming bolder for some other reason that I'm unaware of? Why step out now with a Will Smith project?

Will: Um--I just--I just charge too much money.

Tavis: Yeah. Ha ha ha.

Will: Ha ha ha. "Just can't afford"--"We can't afford nobody else." Ha ha ha.

Tavis: This is gonna be like a Prince record. All songs written, produced, all instruments played by, lead vocals, background vocals, choreography--

Will: "First base, Bugs Bunny. Second base, Bugs Bunny. Third base, Bugs Bunny. Home plate, Bugs Bunny. Pitching, Bugs Bunny." Ha ha ha.

Tavis: But you couldn't afford nobody else. Just you and your robots.

Will: I was "OK, soon as I get this cleaned up, we can shoot the shot, y'all."

Tavis: Ha ha ha.

Will: "I'm gonna make lunch in a minute. Hold on."

Tavis: Ha ha ha. You know, you're being funny about this, but on a serious note, though, you are-- this really is a Will Smith project, because you are on--you're not just on the screen. You E.P.ed this thing. We call that "Executive

Producer" in Hollywood.

Will: You're being all fancy. [imitating Tavis] "You E.P.ed this thing."

Tavis: You E.P.ed this thing, yeah. So--my mama's like, "What? He peed?" No. E.P.

Will: [Mimicking Tavis' mom] "Tavis Smiley just said Will Smith E.P.ed on something."

Tavis: Ha ha ha.

Will: "I thought he was a nice boy."

Tavis: Yeah. So you executive produced this project. Uh, what does that mean for you at this point?

Will: Well, it's--I'm really at the point in my career where I really have to take projects from the inception all the way to--to--all the way through to opening weekend. Um, I've grown to the point as an actor. I've grown intellectually. I've grown in a way-- spiritually, where I have a vision that I want the world to see. I have a vision. I have an interpretation. I have a perspective on things that...I can't survive without having that in my work right now. So at this point-- filmmaking is really a director's medium. So at this point, it's really, for me, about creating relationships with directors where we see eye to eye conceptually and can create things that are gonna last forever.

Tavis: Now, you know if I didn't follow up on this, you'd leave the studio and talk about me. You'd say, "You know, I tossed Tavis a softball, underhand slow pitch right down the middle. Told him I'm trying to put my own vision out there now, and that negro didn't even ask me what your vision is."

Will: See, that's the thing. It's like I'm trying to spoon-feed him. I'm trying to spoon-feed him.

Tavis: Ha ha ha.

Will: You know, I'm trying to spoon-feed him. He won't eat.

Tavis: I was paying attention. I was paying attention. So you want--you're at a point in your career now where you've grown intellectually, and you've got a vision here that you want people to see in your work. What do you want us to see? What's Will Smith trying to get us to see?

Will: Well, there's tons of different things, but specifically with "I, Robot," there was a concept--there's a book called "The Tao of Physics." I'm not gonna go too far with this.

Tavis: I was just reading it last night. Physics?

Will: There's a book called "The Tao of Physics," and I just had a real revelation in reading that book that made my relationship with Jada so much better in the concept that human logic is flawed. And, like, for example, my grandmother would say, you know--I would go through the whole process of trying to hire somebody. I'd go read this stuff, where'd they go to school, talk to people they went to school with. All of that. Go through the whole logical process, bring 'em to meet my grandmother. She'd say, "Ooh, don't hire him, baby. Mm-mmm. Don't hire him."

Tavis: Don't hire him.

Will: "Why not, G.G.? Why shouldn't I--" "Mm-mmm. Just mm-mmm." "But, J.G., why should I--" "Mm-mmm. You can hire him if you want to, but don't."

Tavis: Yeah. Ha ha ha!

Will: You know, it's like that concept of logic versus intuition, and the ability and the necessity to be able to understand your own intuition versus being committed to your logic.

Tavis: Of course, that's not a fair comparison, 'cause, you know, you can't fade nobody's black grandma.

Will: I know. Ha ha ha!

Tavis: You can't fade big mama. How you gonna fade G.G.?

Will: I know, right? Yeah.

Tavis: You know. That ain't no contest.

Will: But that really helped me, because that always would make me angry, to not have any real intellectual or logical base for what you're saying. And I've really grown to a space, and I understand the concept, and almost how horrible it is to teach a child that 2 plus 2 is 4, versus, for the sake of this conversation in passing this test, we've all agreed that if it says 2 plus 2 you need to write 4, but leave yourself open to greater possibilities in the universe. And that's really, kind of, the center of what "I, Robot" is saying, and how you will only crash into yourself, eventually, trying to adhere logically to something that is an illogical endeavor, life.

Tavis: This movie might be too deep for me, Will. And listening to you, maybe I shouldn't go see this tomorrow.

Will: You know, but on top of that, we blow up so much stuff, Tavis.

Tavis: I'm going! I'm going!

Will: You got to see us blow up stuff!

Tavis: I'm going. I'm going.

Will: And the robots are so pretty.

Tavis: I'm going. I'm going. You mentioned Jada, and you know, we've talked a thousand times. I try to respect people's private space, but you guys are public figures. You just mentioned Jada talking about this book "The Tao of Physics" and how it helped your relationship. I'm not trying to call her names, I'm not trying to cast aspersions on anybody, but we live in a city, in a business, Hollywood, where people are swapping partners all the time, and relationships come and go--

Will: Where they at?! What you doin' that I don't know about, Tavis?

Tavis: I'm not doing nothing. I just said they be doing that.

Will: They be switching partners. Oh, OK.

Tavis: They be switching partners. Relationships come and go. James Garner, a legend in his own time, on this show not long ago, he's been married 50 years and talked about his relationship. How do you and Jada survive? How's the relationship seem to be so all that in a city, in an environment where everything else just doesn't seem to work with regard to relationships? Not often enough, at least.

Will: Well, you know, it's not just Hollywood. It's the, you know, we got a 51% divorce rate in the U.S., so, you know, it's not just Hollywood. It's just Hollywood's the most publicized. But it's hard, man. It's really--it's hard.

Tavis: Having said that, it's hard.

Will: Yeah, it's hard, but the thing that I think Jada and I have really found is the ability to effectively communicate. You know, you just can't get around being able--

Tavis: Does that mean you listen to everything and do everything that Jada tells you to do. Is that what you mean by communicate?

Will: No, no, no. It's real live communication. 'Cause that doesn't work, either 'cause then it builds resentment, you know, if people aren't allowed to be themselves. And I just think we've really found a space where we're mobile, you know? And I think what happens a lot of the time, people get locked into a situation, and there's nothing worse for a human being than to feel like they're trapped. You know, you can't prosper in a situation where you feel like you're trapped. And I think we've--every day Jada's a new woman, you know? Every day I'm a new man. Every single time we get together, we've been apart for 2 weeks or 3 weeks, there's something new that we're bringing back to the relationship, a new energy. And I think the mobility and the communication is the combination that we've been able to create to keep us with that little flicker in our eyes when we look at one another.

Tavis: I'm just taking notes so that when I find my Jada, I know what to do.

Will: But, brother, I just wanna--you don't find a great woman, and a woman doesn't find a great man. You make 'em, you know. And that's another thing. The mistake that people make is trying to find that person. You don't find 'em. You create and nurture that person. You build that person.

Tavis: Let me get me some clay and get started, then. Get some dust from the ground, something. You know.

Will: Oh, no. She would have much bigger breasts than that.

Tavis: Exactly, you gotta make 'em. Ha ha ha! I know what I want. I know what I want here.

Will: Somebody get some more clay in here!

Tavis: Ha ha ha! Let me--I'm not trying to gas you up on this, but I think that moment right there is evidence of what I wanna say here. Everybody that I've ever talked to about you, and I get asked around the country, "Who have you interviewed that you've liked the most? What's so-and-so really like?" And whenever your name comes up, I always tell people, "He's as real in person as you would imagine he is." What you see from him, to borrow from Flip Wilson, what you see is what you get. How have you, though, been able to rise to this level of stardom? You're at the top of your game now, and you are in person, as you appear to be, just the most down to earth, humble, cool person. When people say Will Smith's the kind of guy I'd wanna hang out with, they really would wanna hang out with you if they knew you.

Will: I think a big part of that--I got my father over here.

Tavis: The real Mr. Smith.

Will: The real Mr. Smith.

Tavis: He's off-camera but he's--hey, Mr. Smith.

Will: The stuff that my father had to do to feed us, some of my kids might have to be hungry. It was a couple nights we would work in supermarkets, and a supermarket basement is the filthiest, nastiest place on the face of the earth, you know?

Tavis: You haven't been to Brian my stage manager's house.

Will: No, that's pretty nasty, but it's like the things that my father had to do, I mean, I've watched my father move rats, dead rats with his hands, you know, to lay down and put his head there to work on a compressor, you know, and the things that I've seen my father have to go through to feed his kids, I refuse to ever complain about anything that I have to do. My life is beautiful and I am very happy and I refuse to act in any other way. It's like I have fun for a living and I'm able to feed my family. My father had to work, you know? This is my job right now. Come on, man. I just love being alive and my life is beautiful and I refuse to act any other way.

Tavis: On the trajectory of what it is you are going to do and going to accomplish, this may be an impossible question, but tell me, where do you think you are at this point? On the trajectory of everything that you are going to accomplish, what you want to do, what's out there for you, where do you think you are at this point? Halfway there, a third of the way there? How old are you now, by the way?

Will: 35. I think I'm still in the training stages right now.

Tavis: That's scary for the competition. Will Smith is still in trainin', y'all. That's scary!

Will: I think I'm in the trainin' station. I think that the things that I want to do and the person that I want to be and the level of change that I want to make, I'm just in school right now. I'm just studying the world, I'm studying the patterns, I'm studying people, and there's a level of change that I just desire. It's in my heart that I'm nowhere near it yet.

Tavis: On a certain level, though, you are already a genius at what you do. I was reading a quote yesterday that really got my attention by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and what Mozart was saying in this quote was that, he was talking about genius and he says, "Genius is not really born of intellect, it's not born of education, it's not born of this, that, or the other one." Genius is born of, as he saw it, he said, "It's love, love, love. Love what you do, you become a genius at it." That's what Mozart had to say, but never mind Mozart for the moment, but where do you think your genius comes from? Because you really are--you're representin' right about now.

Will: I don't view what I do as genius.

Tavis: The genius comes in, you're doing, as I said earlier, all these genres and you're doing them all well.

Will: I think that the only thing that really separates me from people who are potentially more talented or people who are potentially better equipped to do different things is just the tenacity is ridiculous. I hate to lose with a passion. Michael Jordan is the only other person I've ever been around that I saw hate to lose more than I hate to lose so much so that we...

Tavis: Y'all can't play pool together.

Will: No, Michael, you go ahead and play, man. I refuse to lose and once I decide that I'm gonna do something, there's nothing else that is important to me than studying it, learning how to do it, getting to that point, not eatin', not sleepin', a little bit of sex just to keep my head right, yeah, you know...

Tavis: I assume then, that you've decided that "I, Robot," opening tomorrow is gonna be a hit.

Will: I don't do it no other way.

Tavis: That's why I love big Willy. "I, Robot" opens all around the country tomorrow at a theater near you. Will Smith, you're always welcome back here any time. I'm proud of you. Love you, brother. That's our show for tonight. As always, you can catch me on the radio on NPR. I'll see you back here next time on PBS. Until then, thanks for watching. Good night from Los Angeles, and as always, keep the faith.

[KevTastic]

Cheers Tim

[Guest Prince]

Thanks :dancingcool:

[Jonny 5]

thanks a lot that was an interesting read.

Why's Will saying this is the first movie that he's really done 'by himself'?
What about Enemy of the State?

[Hero1]

[quote=Jonny 5,Sep 3 2004, 02:21 PM]thanks a lot that was an interesting read.

Why's Will saying this is the first movie that he's really done 'by himself'?
What about Enemy of the State?[/quote]
that had gene hackman i guess...

[Jazzy Julie]

thanx

[Jonny 5]

[quote]that had gene hackman i guess...[/quote]

true, but you know what I mean, with BB and MIB there was always another guy 'equal' to Will, I'd say he's easily the most prominent character in Enemy of The State.