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Will Smith explains why he avoided to do films about slavery... Up until now!

Posted by Ria, 29 Sep

Photo credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

Will Smith has quite an impressive resume. From starring as the Fresh Prince (the finest role of his career, and we dare anyone to disagree with us!) to Robert Neville in I Am Legend to John Hancock in Hancock to the Genie in the live-action Aladdin remake, among so many others, he has played quite a diverse range of roles over the years.

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But there's one role the 53-year-old actor said he always refused to take, as he said he never wanted to star in any films about slavery. Until now…

Will Smith has taken on a role he probably never imagined he would take, as he is playing the part of a real-life runaway slave named Peter in his upcoming Apple TV+ film, Emancipation.

The film is about a slave (Will Smith) who flees a plantation in Louisiana after being subjected to terrible abuse and then takes a very treacherous journey north to eventually join the Union army during the American Civil War.

"This was one that was about love and the power of Black love," Will Smith told GQ about why he chose to take on the project.

"And that was something that I could rock with. We were going to make a story about how Black love makes us invincible."

He told GQ that up 'til now, he has always "avoided making films about slavery", because he didn’t want to show Black people "in that light"

"I've always avoided making films about slavery," he told the publication.

"In the early part of my career… I didn't want to show Black people in that light. I wanted to be a superhero. So I wanted to depict Black excellence alongside my white counterparts.

"I wanted to play roles that you would give to Tom Cruise."

We're excited to see what Will Smith brings to the role he never thought he would take on.

Emancipation will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, with William N. Collage writing the script. Filming reportedly started in June. We can't wait to see it!