|
SINGAPORE : Saving the day comes easy for Hollywood superstar Will Smith. After all, he has previously "saved" the world from evil aliens, robots and an assortment of bad guys.
But this time around, the 39-year-old actor of blockbusters such as "Independence Day", and the "Men In Black" and "Bad Boys" franchises found himself in an unusual situation. Smith plays the titular superhero, who is hated by the very public he tries to save in director Peter Berg’s (Kingdom and Friday Night Lights) action comedy, "Hancock", which hits cinemas on Thursday.
While it’s not usual for superheroes to be battling inner demons when not busy fighting evil villains (read: Spider-Man, Hulk, Batman, et al), Smith’s Hancock is - to put it mildly - dysfunctional. And it’s got nothing to do with the very un-superhero-like name).
Like most superheroes, Hancock is invincible, possesses superhuman strength and can fly at the speed of light (sound familiar?). But that’s where the comparisons end.
HERE HE COMES TO WRECK THE DAY
Hancock does not wear a fluttering cape, skin-tight leotard or his underwear on the outside. In fact he’s down-and-out, alcoholic, uncouth, usually in a foul mood and causes millions of dollars of damage whenever he is awake enough to rush to the rescue. Even the kids hate him.
“Hancock, he says what he wants, he does what he wants, he’s rude, he’s politically incorrect, he is mean to children. It was very difficult for me, for the first couple of weeks,” said Smith when he was at the Moscow International Film Festival a couple of weeks ago for the world premiere of the film.
“After the first couple of weeks, Peter (Berg) was really pushing me to just be free and he kept saying: ‘It’s not you, it’s Hancock!’ And after a couple of weeks ... it started to be a guilty pleasure of mine to be able to say and do all of those things that I would never say or do,” said Smith, who has over the years become one of Hollywood’s most-loved stars with his easy-going, down-to-earth, friendly demeanour.
Smith’s apprehension about playing Hancock is understandable. The character seems incorrigibly vile. He first saves the life of do-gooder public relations executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), who takes it upon himself to help Hancock by giving him an image make-over to win over public opinion. And how does Hancock repay him? By trying to sleep with Embrey’s wife Mary, played by the gorgeous Charlize Theron.
Maybe Ray forgot to tip.
SUPER FLY
“I think people always say they love to fly. For me it’s not so much flying. If I had a super power, I think it would be reading minds so that you could just know what people are thinking and they couldn’t hide it from you.”
Yes, Smith has his life all figured out - right down to what superpowers he would have if he could wish for any. But it’s not like Smith really needs any super human talents. A quick look at his spectacular career will leave most mere mortals (not to mention out-of-work actors) feeling inadequate.
Newsweek magazine officially anointed him the “Most Powerful Man in Hollywood” last year. His films have raked in some US$5 billion (S$6.8 billion) at box offices around the world. And he is one of only three actors in the history of film to have had seven consecutive US$100 million blockbusters - the others being his best pal Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks.
It’s no wonder the 39-year-old from Philadelphia doesn’t get out of bed for anything less than US$20 million to make a movie these days.
Even without any apparent superpowers, Smith has managed to come a long way since his days asa rapper. “I feel that with the focus on my acting, I’ll be a much better actor than I would ever be a musician,” he said when asked why he’s been mute on the music front lately.
Taking into consideration how successful a musician he’s been, Smith must be intent on being a really good thespian. As part of the pioneering duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, he won the first ever Grammy award in the rap category in 1988. As a solo artiste, he’s enjoyed a slew of No 1 hits such as "Men in Black", "Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It" and "Switch".
“I feel that the next four or five years are going to be my prime performances (as an actor). I just don’t want to focus on anything but being the best actor I could be right now,” said the two-time Oscar nominee for "Ali" (2001) and "In the Pursuit of Happyness" (2006).
THE DARK KNIGHT
He may not be interested in rapping anymore, but Smith did return to the stage last Friday to charm a crowd of nearly 50,000 - this time at a concert in London’s Hyde Park - to mark Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday. Together with his actress wife Jada Pinkett - with whom he has two children - Smith and acts including Amy Winehouse, Annie Lennox, Queen, Razorlight, Leona Lewis and the man himself, Mr Mandela, raised funds for the South African statesman’s “46664” anti-HIV/Aids campaign.
Mr Mandela, it seems, is not the only politician he seems ready to lend his outright support to - Smith is a big fan of Barack Obama.
“Nelson Mandela is kind of the one person I’ve said yes to. And Barack Obama was probably only the second person that I’ve really to this level said yes to,” he told the BBC while promoting "Hancock" in London.
The admiration seems mutual. The Democratic Presidential hopeful has said he’d like Smith to play him if a film were to made about the trailblazing US senator’s life. “He has the ears,” quipped Obama in February.
“I think (Obama) represents an energy and a positivity that I believe should be the central, and historically has been one of the central ideas of America,” said Smith. “Sort of like a political superhero!”
When you’ve built most of your career playing a hero, it’s probably easy to spot one. - TODAY/ra
|
