Will Smith admits 'surprise' at Concussion flop: 'I knew it would be hard because people love the game'

'But the science is so overwhelming'

Will Smith in Concussion

From protecting the Earth from Aliens to being a master Rubik’s Cube solver, it’s fair to say Will Smith has had a pretty varied career.

One role the actor is particularly proud of is playing Dr. Bennet Omalu in last year’s Concussion, about the forensic pathologist’s fight against the National Football League (NFL) as they attempted to suppress his work on brain damage from playing American football.

Unfortunately, the general public was not as responsive to the film as Smith hoped, grossing $48 million against a budget of $35 million. In an interview with Variety, the 48-year-old admitted he thought the film would bring about more change.

“I thought Concussion would have a bigger impact,” the Suicide Squad actor told the publication. “I knew it would be hard because people love the game, but the science is so overwhelming, and it’s something that we really need to take a look at. I thought that people would get behind the mission of that. I was surprised that people were absolutely like, ‘Nope, I’m not stopping watching football, so I don’t want to know.’”

Smith joked: “I got away with choking a dog to death—but you are not gonna choke football,” a reference to an infamous scene in I Am Legend where he suffocates his zombie-dog.

Meanwhile, the actor will once again be going for Oscar glory with his latest role in Collateral Beauty, where he plays a successful New York advertising executive who experiences a deep personal tragedy. Watch the trailer here.