Will Smith

Will Smith Reveals Why He & Ben Foster Didn't Speak for 6 Months

Will Smith shared that he and Ben Foster didn’t speak to each other during almost the entire time filming Emancipation. Learn why Will gives Ben "credit" for ignoring him for months.

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Will Smith and Ben Foster had a rather unexpected relationship while filming "Emancipation" together.

The "King Richard" actor looked back on the experience while hosting "Red Table Talk" for the first time in the Dec. 14 episode. Smith revealed that he and Foster — who played slave hunter Jim Fassel alongside Smith's enslaved character Peter in the Apple TV+ project — avoided each other the whole time, starting the first day on set when Smith was thanking the background actors.

"I was giving my best Will Smith and Ben just walked past me, and didn't say nothing," Smith said. "I was like, ‘Oh, he must not have seen me.' And then for six months, he didn't speak to me."

As Smith explained, Foster didn't just refrain from speaking to him, but also from making eye contact and acknowledging him altogether. While some would find this rude, Smith and Foster seemed to have a literal unspoken understanding of how this kept them in character.

"When he did that first day, I was like, ‘Yep, got it. We're not playin','" Smith continued. "This is real. This is serious. We're not fooling around with these ideas. And I really credit Ben for clicking me into the next gear of depth and focus."

Eventually, the pair did speak, but it wouldn't be until the project was wrapping up.

"So, the final day, me and [director] Antoine [Fuqua] are at the monitor looking at the shot, and Ben comes over," Smith recalled. "He comes to the monitor and he watches the shot, and Antoine said, ‘I'm happy. We got it.' And then I look over at Ben. He says, ‘Nice to meet you. Ben.'"

As for why Foster decided to keep distance from his co-star until the last minute, the "Hell or High Water" actor recalled a certain energy from Smith that led to that decision.

"The first day of set was staggering," Foster shared during the "Red Table Talk" episode. "I was walking past men in chains, and in situations of such tremendous violence. And then I felt him. I didn't see him, I felt him. It was Will on set. But it wasn't Will Smith as we know him. It was a man, and that man was vibrating. It's animal stuff. It's hard to explain."

Foster continued, "But I could feel the presence of this man who was digging deep. And I passed him, and I felt, well, I'm gonna give him his space."

And although he didn't speak with the 54-year-old much behind-the-scenes, Foster noted he has a great respect for Smith and the way his talent delivered.

"This is a performance that speaks to the human spirit against all odds," Foster said. "To fight for love. The fight of faith, the fight to endure and endure for love. I'm blown away by what Will Smith did in this film."

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