Will Smith had to shed a lot of pounds to play a slave in his new movie Emancipation! Not long ago, the Hollywood actor’s viral ‘dad bod pic’ from May 2021 took the world of social media by storm.
Recently, Will had a chat with his three kids: Trey, 30, Jaden, 24, and Willow, 22 in an episode of Red Table Talk and he told them that playing the role of a former slave named Peter “absolutely changed” his life. Continue reading further to know more about Smith’s weight loss journey.
Will Smith discloses he dropped 30 pounds to play a slave in ‘Emancipation’
During the Wednesday episode of the show Red Table Talk, Will joined his three kids, Trey Jaden, and Willow, to talk about his new movie Emancipation and he also stated that essaying the role of a slave changed his life.
The King Richard actor said, “You guys may remember I posted the out of shape … the ‘dad bod’ picture. The ‘dad bod’ picture was my beginning of preparation to lose weight for Peter. I was probably 225-ish when I started and at the lowest, on the movie, I got to 195.”
Emancipation is a movie set in the 1860s. It is based on a true story, it tells the tale of a slave named Peter who escapes the swamps of Louisiana after he was nearly whipped to death on a plantation.
Will Smith’s weight loss journey explored
However, Will wanted to lose weight for his own personal satisfaction. Apart from this, he also knew that the drastic weight loss transformation would be for the context of the film.
The Pursuit of Happyness star further added, “For me, the physicality is a big part of what makes people go, ‘Woah!’. To be able to transition and manipulate your body as an actor is a big part of the suspension of disbelief for people.”
Along with this, Will also fine-tuned his diet and exercised for almost two hours a day. He went on to say that the harsh filming conditions helped him to drop a couple of extra pounds.
Smith explained, “Actually being out in the swamps … it’s hot, it’s nasty. You’re actually in the swamp, so your hands are dirty so you don’t really want to grab food and eat.”
Will admitted he was in the worst shape of his life during quarantine
Before shooting the emotional film Emancipation, the four-time Grammy-winning actor confessed that he was in the “worst shape of my life” after spending “countless days grazing through the pantry” during quarantine.
At that point, Will posted a shirtless snap of himself on the social media platform Instagram. He has more than 62 million followers on the platform and his fans were quick to support his new body.
In the picture, Smith showed his bare chest and stomach in an unzipped blue hoodie and tight black shorts. Soon after, he began filming for his YouTube Originals miniseries “Best Shape of My Life.”
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