2008 Woodie Awards
Will Smith Talks of His Comic Return to Romance
Annette John-Hall
Issue date: 2/16/05 Section: Entertainment
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Smith, the quintessential ladies' man- who's resplendent with his actress wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, on the cover of this month's Essence- plays "date doctor" Alex Hitchens, creating situations to help ordinary guys snag the girls of their dreams.
"No matter what, no matter when, no matter who, any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet," Hitch observes. "He just needs the right broom."
A smooth operator, funny and debonair, Smith demonstrates in "Hitch," which opens Friday, that he's just as proficient at wooing the sultry Sara (Eva Mendes) as he is at beating back three-headed monsters.
Which doesn't exactly come as a revelation. Even during his days as the fun-loving, slightly goofy Fresh Prince, Smith had "leading man" written all over him. But it has taken Smith, 36, more than a decade to make his way back to romance.
"I'm much more at home in the romantic comedy genre," he says by telephone from Honolulu, where he was promoting the film.
"Anybody who loved the Fresh Prince will love Hitch."
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," the hip-hop-inflected comedy series that aired for six years starting in 1990, not only transitioned Smith from wholesome MC to comedic actor, but also left its imprint on pop culture.
Folks found themselves rapping along with Smith during the show's catchy theme song, making fools of themselves doing the "Carlton dance," and copying Will and Jazz's ("Jazzy" Jeff Townes, Smith's sidekick on the show) easy-breezy handshake.
Smith, playing the lovable, wayward nephew from West Philly who brought a grounded sensibility to his haughty relatives, was the TV show's heart and soul. Only 21 when "The Fresh Prince" debuted, he oozed with the kind of charm that made him a natural to romance the likes of Tyra Banks and Nia Long, who played his girlfriends on the show.
But as he springboarded from the small screen to the big one, something happened- he morphed from a fresh prince of bubble-gum romance into the crown prince of action thrillers.
Smith ruled the box office with blockbusters and their follow-ups, such as "Bad Boys," "Men in Black," "Independence Day," "Enemy of the State" and "I, Robot." The films made him a superstar, but apart from his Oscar-nominated turn in 2001's "Ali" (in which he decked Charles Shufford playing Foreman), he was in danger of being typecast.