When Will Smith Refused To Kiss Another Man On-Screen After Denzel Washington Advice: “Don’t Be Kissing No Man”

Before his reign as Box Office King, Will Smith was a freshman actor trying to make a name for himself outside the rap world. During this time, Smith took on his first movie role in 1993, playing a gay hustler but refusing to kiss his co-star on-screen.

In the 1990s, Will Smith took on his first movie role in Six Degrees of Separation, where he played a gay con man who hustles a wealthy couple in New York’s high society.

While the critics loved Smith, it was later revealed that the co-stars weren’t that fond of the actor’s behaviour on set. Multiple reports stated that Smith reportedly refused to kiss his co-star Anthony Michael Hall on camera. Years later, the Bad Boys star said he regretted that decision.

In December 1993, he told Entertainment Weekly: “It was very immature on my part.”

Smith revealed he decided to avoid kissing scenes after consulting Hollywood legend Denzel Washington, who told him bluntly, “Don’t be kissing no man.”

Smith revealed he was embarrassed by how his friends would react to the scene. “I was thinking, ‘How are my friends in Philly going to think about this?’ he said.

The Hancock star added, “I wasn’t emotionally stable enough to artistically commit to that aspect of the film… This was a valuable lesson for me. Either you do it, or you don’t.”

Meanwhile, in an interview with Time Out London, co-star Ian McKellen said he actually confronted Will Smith over the issue.

McKellen said, “He was a charmer and a good actor. But he did one silly thing: he refused to kiss another boy on screen, even though it was in the script.”

McKellen told the publication that he kissed Smith on the lips in an early preview of the movie.

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