Will Smith … the politician?
He didn’t exactly rule it out while guesting on Crooked Media’s Pod Save America opposite co-host Jon Favreau. The A-list actor, producer, father and social media phenom opened up on the episode, which dropped today, on everything from racism to a potential run for office one day.
On the former subject, Favreau asked Smith about how his personal experiences with racism and discrimination have shaped his worldview. “I’ve been called [n-word] to my face probably five or six times. And fortunately for my psyche, I’ve never been called [n-word] by a smart person,” Smith replied. “I grew up with the impression that racists and racism were stupid, and they were easy to get around. I just had to be smarter now while they were very dangerous. I had never looked into the eyes of a racist and saw anything that I perceived as intellect.”
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Smith continued that once he found a career in Hollywood, he started seeing systemic racism around him. “But at the core of it, I noticed a difference between ignorance and evil. Now they’re twins, for sure, but ignorance, can be educated and evil is a much more difficult problem. I’ve always been encouraged that the process of education and understanding could alleviate some of the more dangerous and difficult aspects of racism that have unfortunately been embedded in the very fibers of our country.”
Following that dialogue, Favreau asked Smith whether he would seriously take the leap into political office after making jokes about it in the past. In his answer, Smith didn’t rule it out.
“I think for now I’ll let that office get cleaned up a little bit and then I’ll consider that at some point down the line,” he said. “I absolutely have an opinion, I’m optimistic, I’m hopeful, I believe in understanding between people and I believe in the possibility of harmony. I will certainly do my part, whether it remains artistic or, at some point, ventures into the political arena.”
The rest of Smith’s Pod Save America conversation can be found here.
