The Real Reason Will Smith Turned Down Django
Will Smith may be one of the most prolific actors of our time. Still, he did turn down major roles, such as Django in Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning "Django Unchained." In a new cover interview with GQ, the actor revealed why he turned it down, and opened up about his marriage with Jada Pinkett Smith. In particular, he admitted that his and Jada's marriage isn't a conventional one (which partly explains his wife's past "entanglement" with singer August Alsina).
As he put it, Jada grew up surrounded by open relationships. "So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up," Will said. This eventually led him to reconsider what real partnership looks like. "What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection."
And so, the two decided to try and open up their marriage. "We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can't be a prison." Although it works for them, Will admits that it isn't for everyone. "I don't suggest this road for anybody," he said. "But the experiences that the freedoms that we've given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love." Elsewhere, Will spoke about filming for thriller slavery movie "Emancipation" and why he refused to be on "Django."
Will Smith didn't want to 'show Black people in that light'
In the same GQ interview, published in September, Will Smith explained why "Django Unchained" wasn't the right fit. "I've always avoided making films about slavery," he explained. "In the early part of my career ... I didn't want to show Black people in that light." Instead, Will wanted his characters to highlight Black excellence.
"I wanted to be a superhero," he continued. "So I wanted to depict Black excellence alongside my white counterparts. I wanted to play roles that you would give to Tom Cruise." He added that the first time he even considered starring in slavery movie was for "Django," but he still felt like it wasn't right. "I didn't want to make a slavery film about vengeance." This isn't the first time Will has talked about turning down Quentin Tarantino's slavery movie, though.
"It was about the creative direction of the story," he said at The Hollywood Reporter's 2015 "Actor Roundtable." He continued, "To me, it's as perfect a story as you could ever want: a guy that learns how to kill to retrieve his wife that has been taken as a slave. That idea is perfect. And it was just that Quentin and I couldn't see [eye to eye]." For the actor, this wasn't an easy decision to make. "I wanted to make that movie so badly," he said. "But I felt the only way was, it had to be a love story, not a vengeance story."