Actor Will Smith might one day take his talents away from Hollywood and move into the political arena.
Smith discussed his potential future in politics while promoting his new film “Concussion,” a movie about Dr. Bennet Omalu’s fight to force the NFL to recognize the effect football has on its player’s long-term health.
“I’m a climber, so if I see a mountain, I have to climb it,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m not a camper; I don’t like hanging in one place too long. So I think, at this point, I’m elevating my ability to be useful in the world. I think that that’s what my grandmother always hoped, that I would make myself useful to people in this lifetime. I’m working really hard and my storytelling is elevating, my ability to be eloquent with my body and with my voice and to deliver ideas as an actor is elevating.”
“And, you know, as I look at the political landscape, I think that there might be a future out there for me. They might need me out there. This is the first year that I’ve been incensed to a level that I can’t sleep, you know? So I’m feeling that at some point, in the near future, I will have to lend my voice to the conversation in a somewhat different way.”
The Hollywood Reporter emphasized something Smith said earlier in the interview about his acting prowess that could serve him well if he ever switched careers.
“I don’t consider myself particularly talented — I consider myself slightly above average in talent — but nobody’s going to outwork me,” Smith said. “I’ll take a slight talent and then add the skill to it and can make it look magnificent, you know?”
The closest Smith has come to playing a politician is his role as a lawyer in “Enemy of the State” who ends up in the crosshairs of the NSA and corrupt politicians.
Smith mentioned his interest in running for president in a 2007 interview with Daily Mail, right around the time a young politician named Barack Obama was gaining steam in the 2008 presidential race.
“I always wanted to be the first black president, but Barack Obama stole my idea,” he said. “That’s OK with me. Barack can go first and then I’ll take my turn.”
He espoused his political views (heavily liberal) and criticized George W. Bush’s administration.
“The basis of human sanity is physical survival, right? So I’d start with universal healthcare and shelter,” Smith said. “I can’t see that happening under Bush. Too many bad things have happened under his presidency.”
“I don’t believe he is an evil man, I just think he has an unevolved perspective,” he said of Bush. “It’s a good thing he’s served his time. Now it’s time for Barack Obama.”
