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Will Smith Reveals Rihanna's Reaction to His New Film Emancipation

By Paige Strout Dec 01, 2022 7:04 PMTags
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Watch: Will Smith Reveals What Rihanna REALLY Thinks of His New Movie

Sounds like Rihanna is an aspiring film critic.

The music superstar attended a special screening of the new film Emancipation last month with boyfriend A$AP Rocky, Tyler Perry, Dave Chappelle and more stars. And leading man Will Smith exclusively shared what the "Lift Me Up" singer really thought of the movie on the Dec. 1 episode of E! News (airing tonight at 11:30 p.m.).

"Rihanna loved the cinematography," the actor told E! News' chief correspondent Keltie Knight at the film's Nov. 30 premiere. "She could not get over the look of the film and how it felt."

And according to the 54-year-old, he didn't have to bother asking the rest of his guests what they thought of the movie, as he heard their reactions throughout the screening.

"The thing that's great with Black people is they talk to the screen the whole time, so you don't have to ask people's opinion," he joked. "So, I didn't have to ask anybody's opinion from the room."

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Will Smith's Best Roles

The movie follows Will's character Peter, a slave who makes a dangerous escape from a plantation through the swamps of Louisiana in hopes of reuniting with his family. The movie—which marks the actor's first film since his Oscars controversy earlier this year—is an important one for the star, especially in terms of the story's themes.

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"I feel like a lot of the patterns are starting to repeat themselves in America and the world today," Will shared. "So, in terms of the timing, it felt like it was time for a reminder that we not go down some of the same paths."

He and director Antoine Fuqua worked hard to relay that message in hopes that the film "was something that you wouldn't just forget when you walked out of the theater," Will said.

"I think that level of emotional confront is important," he continued, "to be able to cultivate compassion and empathy for one another."

Hear more from Will and today's entertainment stories on E! News tonight at 11:30 p.m. on E!.

Emancipation premieres in select theaters Dec. 2 and on Apple TV+ Dec. 9.

Watch E! News weeknights Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m., only on E!.