Watch Will Smith Break Down His "Secret" to Acting

Will Smith is arguably one of the most successful actors of this generation, and he owes it all to this one secret. Click to see his keys to a successful career in Hollywood.

By Vannessa Jackson Sep 02, 2020 6:00 PMTags
Watch: Will Smith: What You HAVE to Know About the Actor

He's always keeping it fresh!

Will Smith is one of the most prolific actors of this generation. Partly because he always knows when its time to pivot and change up his act. From his breakout role in the popular '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to his dozens of dramatic roles throughout the years, he's always focused on perfecting his craft and making sure he's never stale.

Finally, Will sat down with Angela Rye to share exactly what he believes is the secret sauce to being one of the biggest actors in Hollywood. Angela hosts a podcast series called On One where she learns how to do different careers from those who have mastered them. So, of course, when it comes to acting, she had to call up her long time friend Will to get his secrets.

He started off by first sharing his definition for acting. "Acting is performing actions," he shared. "You learn how to simulate in an authentic way the reaction to the fantasy circumstances that have been presented."

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Will Smith's Best Roles

Sounds simple enough, right? Think again! In order to fully master any craft it takes years of hard work, but Angela only had a few minutes to gain all the knowledge she could from Will. So suffice to say, it was a masterclass fit for a king...or a prince!

Will revealed that he actually has only done method acting for one role, and it was Six Degrees of Separation, which is widely known to be the film that cemented him as a leading man capable of more serious roles. "I don't do method acting anymore," he revealed. "Because when that psychological ground falls it's horrendous."

 

He believes that being a great actor is more useful than just being on screen and the secret to being a great actor is also the secret to having a whole and fulfilling life as well.

"The more you understand yourself, the more you'll be able to understand your characters," he shared. "The beauty about acting is that is the human skill for successful relationships."

According to Will, it's all about opening yourself up to the full range of the human experience, and from there, anything is possible!