Great Article On Will Smith's Acting Career

[Dpantherman]

Will Smith is definitely one of my favorite actors, and this article really touched on why I'm personally a bit frustrated w/ his work.

Grierson & Leitch

By Will Leitch

May 18, 2012 5:00 PM

Will Smith Has Left And Gone Away

When did you first realize that the Fresh Prince could legitimately act? Like, in the big leagues? For once in my life, I was on the early part of the curve; my college newspaper assigned me, a green freshman, a review of Six Degrees of Separation, John Guare's adaptation of his own play about a fancy Upper West Side couple (Donald Sutherland and Stockard Channing) who are taken in by a gay con man who claims he's the son of Sidney Poitier.

So I was blown away, even at 18, by how immediately and totally Smith owned the camera. Sutherland and Channing were both highly respected actors (Channing actually earned an Oscar nomination for the film), but Smith pushed them right off the screen, taking a character that could have been offensive and invested him with real heart and care. His Paul was charming, engaging, and vaguely sinister, but mostly earnest—the most sincere con man you'd find. Smith gave the role all he could; he was desperate to impress, and it made his character strangely moving.

That's what struck me about Smith, both then and later, when he would become the biggest movie star in the world: He never half-assed it. He had a seriousness, an attitude of I really do want to be the best at this, that was obvious from that first big film and that he carried with him into Hollywood superstardom.

That's what struck me about Smith, both then and later, when he would become the biggest movie star in the world: He never half-assed it. He had a seriousness, an attitude of I really do want to be the best at this, that was obvious from that first big film and that he carried with him into Hollywood superstardom.

From his first major breakthroughs in Bad Boys and (especially) Independence Day to his more Actorly roles in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness to even his star projects like Hancock and I, Robot, Smith was like a politician who never stopped working for your vote. My favorite work of his is probably in I Am Legend, in which he imbues his last-man-on-earth scientist with legitimate sadness and even a considerable splash of madness. It was impressive to watch a massive movie star, headlining a tentpole action movie, willing to go all the way with his performance. The man never cheated you out of your dollar, and it was impossible not to respect that. He was the whole package, powerful actor and powerful movie star, and I couldn't wait to see what he'd do next.

But what he did next was he turned tail and ran home. Smith made two movies in 2008, one of which was Hancock, which was fine if bloated and loud. The other was the one that should have worried us. It was called Seven Pounds, and it was the sort of film a big movie star makes when no one is around to tell him "no" anymore. It was a vanity, faux-"uplift" disaster, the story of a man who decides (spoilers, if you care; the movie has been out for four years) to give away all an assortment of his organs (the "seven pounds" of the title).

Seven Pounds was the last movie Smith appeared in, and it's difficult to blame him; I'd hide too. In the last four years, Smith spent his time tending, somewhat creepily, to the careers of his children, Jaden and Willow, and batting away rumors that he was a Scientologist.

So I looked forward to his return. Perhaps the time off would have left him energized, and ready for the next act of his career, in which he would retake the mantle as the most interesting global movie icon of our time.

That has not happened. Instead, next Friday, Smith reappears on movie screens with a Men In Black sequel absolutely no one was asking for. (The first film was excellent, but apparently the world has forgotten just how terrible the second one was.) That he would make another Men In Black film as his return is depressing enough; that the film was plagued by endless reshoots and rewrites—many of which forced by Smith himself — is particularly worrisome. But it's not just that.

Take a look at Smith's next five projects:

• Men In Black 3.

• After Earth, a sci-fi drama about a father and son (Smiths Will and Jaden) investigating an alien planet, directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

• Hancock 2

• Bad Boys 3

• I, Robot 2

The shame is that Smith had the perfect role for a comeback in his grasp, written precisely for him by one of our most respected filmmakers. Quentin Tarantino had conceived the title role of Django Unchained specifically for Smith ... but Smith, at this level of global fame, didn't have the fortitude to take the risk of playing a slave battling an evil plantation owner (played by Leonardo DiCaprio; imagine, DiCaprio vs. Smith, in a Tarantino movie!).

So he turned down the role, which is now played by Jamie Foxx—a skilled actor, but one with a lower ceiling than Smith's. Smith could have hedged his bets by doing the Men In Black sequel AND Django, giving him his big tentpole hit while still showing he was still willing to hone his craft and stretch. But he chickened out: It might have been bad for that all-important Will Smith brand ... which is how you end up with Hancock 2 and I, Robot 2 and a stagnant career. Smith was once the most magnetic, likable actor in Hollywood. Then he just became the biggest. Now he's just another guy wanting our money, and not willing to work nearly as hard for it anymore.

Full Article: http://deadspin.com/grierson-%26-leitch/

I tried not to post the whole thing, but I hated to cut anything out (I cut out a paragraph or two).

TL;DR version: Will shows he can act w/ the best of them in 6 Degrees of separation, becomes a mega star in Bad Boys, Independence Day. He becomes Hollywood elite after an oscar nom for Ali, and adds another with Pursuit of Happiness. Then he becomes a hollywood politician of sorts, and makes 7 Pounds in 2008 which was critcally panned (and he hasn't appeared in another film since)

He turned down what could have been a WAY more serious and possible oscar-nominated role in Django Unchained. Quentin Tarantino chose Smith for the role be he chickened out because he would have had to play a slave (Jamie Foxx landed the role).

[Sapper]

This is when I knew Will Smith was an actual actor, and not some crossover '90's joke actor:

[Dpantherman]

I wonder if he submitted that episode to the Emmys.

[pstall]

i have yet to see any range from him to be honest. he needs to take a role that isn't ego driven and support somebody else or do an ensemble.

box office he has done well. acting not so much.

[natty]

i have yet to see any range from him to be honest. he needs to take a role that isn't ego driven and support somebody else or do an ensemble.

box office he has done well. acting not so much.

Yeah, he's a personality. Good actor, not great.

[FurdTurgason]

I liked Seven Pounds, and Men In Black II was not terrible. If a guy makes a bazillion dollars and wants to take a few years off, that's up to him. I agree with this guy, though, that you can't come back with all sequels at that point.

[Razzy]

It's hard to argue with. More than ever teenagers dictate the direction of movies. They create the most demand, so we are doomed to have the next couple decades dominated by mindless action films and re-hashed pg-13 comedies.

[Darth Biscuit]

I like him very much as an actor as well... it's weird that I didn't really realize that he hadn't done anything since 2008.

That Tarantino movie does sound pretty cool... sucks that he turned it down. Smith is really the only candidate for a for real "action star" out there right now... there's really no one filling that role.

[Panthers128]

I like some of Will Smith's movies but I can certainly understand the argument that he plays a lot of pretentious roles and does too many tacky action films.

Keanu Reeves isn't the greatest actor but he picks much better scripts to be a part of. Recently saw 'Henry's Crime' and couldn't help but think how well suited he was for the role. The movie wasn't a big hit but it's the kinda film that gives a fan more appreciation for the actor. Another Reeves movie coming out soon is 47 Ronin which is based on an old Japanese story. It's not going to make nearly as much money as Independence Day 2 but it should be more than explosions and one-liners and offer some challenges to Reeves.

I mention Reeves because he's the one who took the Matrix lead after Smith rejected it. I'm sure Smith could easily secure roles in more interesting films (like Django Unchained) but there is a business aspect to the industry and it seems lately he mostly aims for safe action flicks or flicks with Oscar nomination potential.

[Dpantherman]

I really enjoyed Pursuit though. Best scene was the one in the train station.

[Seal (SmittyIsOurSavior)]

Django is gonna be a damn good movie. Not only is it Tarantino, but have you seen the cast!?

DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx, as said in the article, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L Jackson, and RZA from Wu-Tang

And my main man and favorite actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt was casted, but he has to drop it because he's gonna be filming his first movie as a director in the same time-frame. Too bad, he's gonna miss out on one of the best movies of the decade. Guaranteed.

[Seal (SmittyIsOurSavior)]

Also, to post on topic, I just watched Six Degrees a few nights ago. I didn't think he was THAT incredible, but considering his age and the fact that it was his first real movie, it was pretty darn good.

[Panthers128]

[cookinwithgas]

I Robot 2? What kind of stupid idea is this? That was a total disaster. I loved him in Persuit of Happyness but he'll always be the victory dance guy in Independence Day to me.