Will Smith talks playing a racist cop in Netflix film "Bright"
Will Smith has jumped on the Netflix bandwagon, teaming up with his "Suicide Squad" director, David Ayer, for "Bright," a Netflix original film set in a gritty Los Angeles where humans coexist with orcs, fairies and elves.
The fantastical concept allowed Smith to delve into a type of character he hasn't gotten to explore before.
"You never get to be racist when you're black," Smith said of his role as an LAPD officer saddled with a partner (played by Joel Edgerton) who happens to be the first orc on the force. "You're like, 'Look man, I don't want no orcs in my car.'"
Smith described the film as the "rated-R grind of 'Training Day'" mashed up with "Lord of the Rings."
Smith, Ayer and Edgerton brought the film to San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday for Netflix's first-ever panel in the 6,500-seat Hall H, giving fans in attendance the first glimpse of the film's trailer.
In May, the "Independence Day" star sparred with his fellow Cannes juror Pedro Almodovar over the threat Netflix may or may not pose to traditionally released films, staunchly defending the streaming platform. But in San Diego, Smith was a bit more circumspect.
"There is a difference between seeing a movie in a theater and seeing it on Netflix," he said, but he added that he is "really excited" to see "whatever this new wave of entertainment is going to be."
Check out the official trailer for "Bright" here:
"Bright" will premiere on Netflix December 22, 2017.