Will Smith says an Emancipation co-star spat on him during improvised take: ‘I was like whoa’

‘It was emotionally, it was physically, it was spiritually taxing,’ Smith said of filming ‘Emancipation’

Will Smith recalled being spat on by a fellow actor while filming his new Apple TV movie, Emancipation.

The 54-year-old actor appeared on Red Table Talk this week to discuss his role with his three children Willow, 22, Jaden, 24, and Trey Smith, 30.

Smith plays a man called Peter who escapes slavery in the film directed by Antoine Fuqua based on a true story.

“As the years have gone on I’ve gotten more and more locked into these characters for longer periods of time,” Smith explained to his children.

“And it’s just the weight of this story, the weight of these experiences – the quality of these actors. It was emotionally, it was physically, it was spiritually taxing.”

Smith then remembered costar Steven Ogg who “ad-libbed” one scene where he decided to spit on him.

“One of the first days on set, there is a scene with one of the actors and he leans down in my face and says, ‘You a cold one, ain’t you?’ and then he ad-libbed...,” Smith said, turning to simulate spitting on Willow, before reenacting his disgusted reaction in an exaggerated manner, making his kids laugh.

Smith joked: “I was like, ‘Makeuuuup!’ No, but it was like... Whoa, every actor on this set was taking it really, really seriously.”

The film is Smith’s first since the actor struck presenter Chris Rock in the face on stage at the Oscars earlier this year.

During the film’s premiere, Smith called the timing of the movie after his controversy “poetic perfection”.

Read The Independent’s two-star review of the film here.

Will Smith’s Red Table Talk Takeover with Willow, Jaden and Trey is available to stream on Facebook Watch.

Emancipation is now streaming on Apple TV+.