New York - Will Smith jumps into an active volcano and kayaks down a rushing river in Iceland for the latest project. But he didn't make an action movie. It was personal.
Smith, starring Hollywood, admitted she was far from the outdoors and was at risk while filming National Geographic's dynamic Disney + original series "Welcome to Earth." He was scared, but it brought clarity.
"If you are afraid, it is very difficult to enjoy things," he says. "I think the ability to see how beautiful things are is directly related to your openness to them, and fear is closing you off."
In the six-part series, which opens Wednesday, the "I Am Legend" star wears scuba gear, dives into an underground lake, crosses a raging crocodile-infested river and sits still in the congested Namibian desert. with lizards. Find out how to eat. bug.
In every moment, there is the credibility, the sweetness and the humor of Smith. "Damn, it's a crunchy bug," he says at one point when the lizard attacked. After going through a difficult crossroads that even he was shocked at, he said, "In the movie, my stunt double would have done it."
Smith, a boy from West Philadelphia who once claimed to be afraid of everything and hates the water, learns to raft, rescues turtles near the Great Barrier Reef and 914 meters deep. Go down. -Sinks in water.
Smith, 53, says the series came once in his life when he naturally opened the door. "Of course, I had to do it the way I did, and that's how National Geographic does it," he laughs. "That part works really well with my personality."
Dr. Albertlin, an engineer and explorer who previously discovered a lost city in National Geographic, was shocked to discover that Smith could control his fears in the face of real danger.
While diving in an underground lake in Namibia, Smith had a buoyancy problem and Lin saw him "fall at a speed that would never be seen again." But Smith was able to control his mind and address the situation.
"I used to respect actor Will Smith, but now I definitely respect human Will Smith," said Lin, who grew up watching Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He says. I was delighted to go camping and exploring with him.
"This was really a personal journey for him," adds Lin. "I just wanted to know what was on Earth, feel it and really try." And the worst happened and Smith died in the cold lake. What if? "If I had lost it there, I would have stayed there."
Created by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, this series continues the National Geographic tradition, pushing the limits of search, and embracing the latest technology to help us understand our world. I am.
"I hope this is a portal for many people to fully understand how wonderful our planet is," says Lin. โThe way old magazines, or old yellow-edged magazines, did for many of us growing up, this would be something of that caliber and something meaningful to others. For me, it feels like the mission has been accomplished. "
Part of the freshness of the series comes from the fact that Smith, who wants to do another set right away, is not informed of what the plans are for a particular day in the desert. "When I hit the ground, I don't know what we're doing," he says.
The experts he pairs teach him about speed, smell, sound and colors that he might miss. "I really don't want to protect what I don't understand, and I don't want to protect what you don't recognize as beautiful," says Smith.
โMy job right now is to see it, feel it and understand it. As you know, it makes this stage of my life so much more enjoyable, mysterious, and inspiring in a really fun way. I will expose you to. "
Released by Disney +, this image shows Will Smith in the scene from the National Geographic nature series "Welcome to Earth."
