Will Smith explains why he disagrees with the feeling of “funding the police”



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With Denzel Washington, Will Smith is one of Hollywood’s most famous movie cops thanks to his blockbuster Bad Boys franchise. In a new high-profile interview with GQ, the star of the future hope at the Oscars king richard tackles the complex subject of policing in the real world. Specifically, Smith discusses the “Defund the Police” movement which gained ground after the murder of George Floyd in custody in Minneapolis in May 2020, four months after the third Bad Boys Payment, Bad boys for life, racked up $ 200 million at the US box office. And just like Washington – who recently told Yahoo Entertainment that he has “the greatest respect” for real-life cops – Smith makes a more cautious note on the movement’s goals.

“I’d love to just say ‘Fund the wrong police’,” he remarks, comparing it to the mixed messages on critical race theory. “It’s almost like I want as black Americans to change our marketing for the new position we find ourselves in. So ‘critical race theory’ just call it ‘theory of truth’ . The pendulum swings beautifully in our direction. “

“It’s a difficult area to discuss, but I feel like the simplicity of Black Lives Matter was perfect,” Smith continues. “Anyone trying to debate Black Lives Matter looks ridiculous. So when I talk about commercializing our ideas, Black Lives Matter was perfection. From an achievement point of view, Black Lives Matter does. ‘Defund. the police ‘ne “Don’t do it, no matter how good the ideas are. I’m not saying we shouldn’t fund the police. I say, just don’t say that, because then the people who would help you won’t do it. ”

Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles as Florida super-cops in Bad Boys for Life (Photo: Ben Rothstein / & # xa9; Columbia Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection)

Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles as Florida super-cops in Bad boys for life (Photo: Ben Rothstein / © Columbia Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection)

Amid the Black Lives Matter protests last summer, Smith opened up about his own interactions with the police as a young man in Philadelphia, saying he had been called the ‘N’ word on multiple occasions. “I got arrested frequently,” he remarked on the podcast, On 1 with Angela Rye. “So I understand what it’s like to be with the police under these circumstances.”

Talk with GQSmith explains that for much of his career he has placed being an artist rather than a spokesperson for a particular cause. “Early in my career… I wanted to be a superhero. So I wanted to represent black excellence alongside my white counterparts. I wanted to play roles that you would give Tom Cruise.” Now that he’s in his so called “f *** – it 50s”, however, he’s ready to incorporate politics into his art. This includes his upcoming Apple TV + movie, Emancipation, which is based on the true story of “Whipped Peter”, a runaway slave and the subject of a famous 19th century photo that captured the horrors of slavery in one image.

Previously, Smith said he deliberately “avoided” appearing in films about slavery – including that of Quentin Tarantino. Django Unchained, where he was offered the title role which ultimately went to Jamie Foxx – but thinks that Emancipation offers something different. “It was a movie about love and the power of black love,” Smith said of the Antoine Fuqua-directed film. “And that was something I could rock out with. We were going to do a story about how black love makes us invincible.”

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 06: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend Paramount Pictures' Premiere of

Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 2019 premiere of Gemini man in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic)

Speaking of love, Smith’s GQ the interview also touches on the rumors surrounding his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith, which are addressed in the actor’s upcoming memoir, Will, released in bookstores in November. “Jada never believed in conventional marriage,” the actor says, tacitly confirming that he and Pinkett Smith are in a non-traditional relationship. “We have given each other confidence and freedom, with the conviction that each one must find his own way. And marriage for us cannot be a prison. And I do not suggest our route to anyone. But the experiences that the freedoms we have for ourselves. are given and unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love. “

king richard premieres November 19 in theaters and on HBO Max

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