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The Next Face Of Will Smith As Seen On Netflix’s Bright

It’s been a long and colorful journey

Whether or not you’ve seen a lot of his work, Will Smith is just one of those Hollywood actors whose name you just know. He did, after all, begin churning out sitcom episodes in The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air in 1990, starred in one iconic franchise that started with 1997’s Men In Black, voiced one funny fish in Shark Tale in 2005, tore our hearts out in The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006—and so many more in between.

Say what you want, but calling Smith a one trick pony would be a lie of epic proportions. Because while it is subjective, there is also no point in trying to prove that he can’t do drama, comedy, action or any combination of the three.

Smith’s filmography is varied and his talent has stood the test of time. So what if he’s now a husband to one Jada Pinkett Smith and father to Trey, Jaden and Willow? Did anyone ever say you should start slowing down at the ripe age of 49?

The answer is (or should be) no and Smith proves this with his next blockbuster, Bright.

Bright is set in an alternate world where humans, orcs, fairies and elves live together in what could be considered harmony. Two police officers—one orc and one human—set off on a standard night watch that turns out to be anything but ordinary.

During their patrol and as they try to settle their personal differences, the two battle against an onslaught of enemies as they protect a young elf and a thought-to-be-forgotten relic that, in the wrong hands, could destroy their world as they know it.

Seeing Smith in an action-packed fantasy film is not novel experience; it’s a testament to what he does best. Smith holding a gun and fighting the bad guys is a scene we all know quite well. But it is this history and mastery that helps set his performance in Bright apart from anything else he’s done before.

Smith describes his character, Daryl Ward, to Variety as a “black police officer that’s racist against orcs.” But more than this, it’s the symbolistic and social undertones of the film that really sets Ward apart from the likes of Agent J, Deadshot and Hancock. Filming gave Smith an “exciting opportunity to look at society through a different lens.”

Evidently, we’re all about to see Smith take on a role that we never have before—though it is cloaked in something comfortable and familiar.

Bright premieres on Netflix this December 22.

Images via facebook.com/pg/BrightMovie

Adie Pieraz

grew up with numbers but fell in love with words by the time she reached her teenage years. She likes to surround herself with mellow music, delicious food and funny fail videos.