Will Smith Visit Los Angeles Lakers, Talks Have ‘Gratitude’ During Challenging Times
Will Smith visited with the Los Angeles Lakers after appearing at their annual Genius Talks conference, where celebrities take some time to speak with the team to offer inspiration.
Smith, who has maintained a low profile since his Oscars controversy back in March 2022, was presented with a No. 14 Lakers jersey and delivered a message that was inspired by “themes in his forthcoming masterpiece film, Emancipation,” according to the Lakers.
The Oscar-winning actor spoke about "strength through togetherness, and practicing gratitude in times of great challenge," the NBA team confirmed.
“Gave a sneak peek of #Emancipation to the @lakers and had a GREAT convo about the film for their Genius Series… big thanx to everyone who came thru!!,” Smith captioned his Instagram post reflecting on his appearance.
Smith’s latest film Emancipation, which will be available on AppleTV+, follows a man who escapes slavery and sets out on a quest for freedom.
"Throughout my career, I've turned down many films that were set in slavery," Smith said at the time of the screening, per The Hollywood Reporter. "I never wanted to show us like that. And then this picture came along. And this is not a film about slavery. This is a film about freedom. This is a film about resilience. This is a film about faith. This is a film about the heart of a man — what could be called the first viral image. Cameras had just been created, and the image of whipped Peter went around the world."
Emancipation is set to release on Dec. 9, 2022.
