Will Smith's Near 'Hyperventilation' on "Emancipation" Set

Will Smith’s Near ‘Hyperventilation’ on “Emancipation” Set

Web Desk

08th Aug, 2023. 12:33 pm
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During a conversation with Kevin Hart on Peacock’s “Hart to Heart,” Will Smith opened up about his intense emotional experience while filming a scene for the slavery-themed movie “Emancipation.” Smith disclosed that he nearly had a panic attack while portraying a runaway slave named Peter.

The scene involved a chain around his neck and an equipment malfunction, triggering deep emotions within Smith. He revealed, “Just bringing it up, I start to get teary. It’s like, I wanted to feel the degradation of slavery, and I went too far in.”

Smith, a 54-year-old Oscar-winning actor, expressed astonishment at the cruelty depicted in the film, stating, “I was jarred by the level of human brutality and what we will do to each other.”

Describing an incident with a chain prop, Smith shared, “They put it on my neck and they were fitting it for size and the prop master went to put the key in and it didn’t work. I was like, Oh no… I was like, Will, relax.” The experience left him standing on the “hyperventilating edge” as the crew rushed to free him.

Confronting the character’s atrocities led Smith to strengthen his faith, as he shared, “Peter introduced me to God. My faith got solid after working on that movie.”