ENTERTAINMENT NEWS - CELEBRITIES
JAPAN ENTERTAINMENT
Tokyo - August 28, 2008

Superstar Will Smith ready to begin second phase of incredible movie career

By Daniel L. Smith
Access E

TOKYO - He is the first Hollywood actor in history to have eight straight movies top the $100 million mark at the box office. Add worldwide ticket sales to those already impressive figures and his films have earned him the label of Hollywood's "best paid actor," netting him $80 million in 2008 alone, according to Forbes Magazine.

As he turns 40, the conventional thinking might indicate that there is little left for superstar actor Will Smith to accomplish. But the star said that's not the case in fact he said he feels he is just getting started again.

Smith talked about his age milestone and what the movie process means to him during an exclusive interview with Access E, while the star was in Tokyo to promote the Japan premiere of "Hancock."

The superhero comedy-drama has grossed nearly $560 million worldwide, pulling it up to the stratospheric heights of several of Smith's biggest movies "I Am Legend" ($584 million); "Men In Black" ($589 million); and "Independence Day" ($817 million). .

There is no indication he is slowing down one bit. With one 2009 film in the can and another rumored role in the on the horizon, Smith said turning 40 is actually help him turn a new leaf.

"You know it feels like a clean slate. I get to start over again and I get to start fresh. I feel like I've had all the little learning experiences and everything. I've made movies that were successful and weren't. I had a marriage that wasn't successful and now one that is. You know I've worked through some things and now I feel like I can really focus and really concentrate and create the life that I've always dreamed about," he said.

The Midas touch Smith has developed for his choice of film roles is no dream, rather, he says, a gut instinct.

"You know to me it starts really, really simply. When I read a script I am picturing myself in the movie theater and from the first idea of the movie, I'm saying, 'Do I want to see that?' I think a lot of times people make movies for other reasons than for the enjoyment of the people who are going to go see it, but for me it is always about, if I'm sitting in a movie theater and the trailer comes up for an alcoholic superhero do I want to go see it? Already the idea of it is interesting," Smith explained.