Speaking at Cannes Lion yesterday, June 22, Smith who is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films gross upwards of $100 million at the domestic box office, said he took up roles without being much concerned about the quality, E! Online reports.
READ: Will Smith lands double nominations as MTV Movie Awards unveil nominees
‘I had so much success that I started to taste global blood and my focus shifted from my artistry to winning,’ Smith said of his 1999 Barry Sonnenfeld-directed ‘Wild Wild West’ movie.
‘I wanted to win and be the biggest movie star, and what happened was there was a lag—around Wild Wild West time—I found myself promoting something because I wanted to win versus promoting something because I believed in it.’
For the rapper-turned-actor who has acted in well over 25 movies and has seen 10 consecutive films gross upwards of $150 million internationally, times have changed and the audience is more critically observant.
Also READ: Will Smith, His Nigerian accent and all the drama – Ayo Shonaiya writes
‘That smoke and mirrors in marketing is over. People are going to know really quickly and globally whether a product keeps its promises,’ he said, adding, ‘Back in the ’80s and ’90s you had a piece of crap movie you put a trailer with a lot of explosions and it was Wednesday before people knew your movie was s–t…But now what happens is 10 minutes into the movie, people are tweeting, ‘This is s–t. Go see Vin Diesel.’
‘My career has been strictly being able to sell my products globally, and it’s now in the hand of fans,’ Smith further said. ‘I have to be in tune with their needs and not trick them into going to see Wild Wild West.’
‘It’s funny to go sit in a meeting in Hollywood now. It’s a new idea that we have to make good movies,’ he joked of the new quality embrace in Hollywood. ‘Hmm, I never thought of that.’
Smith was one of the pallbearers at Muhammad Ali‘s – whose role he played in the 2001 biopic, Ali – funeral. No Fields Found.
