Megastar Will Smith is used to being intimate with his on-screen co-stars. But there was a point in seven books where Smith felt particularly nervous about performing those close-up scenes with co-star Rosario Dawson. Because of this, Smith wanted his wife to be with him while doing the scene. But Jada Pinkett had choice words for her reaction.
Rosario Dawson remembered how ‘Seven Pounds’ changed Will Smith
In seven books Will Smith plays an IRS agent who offers parts of his body to those in need of a donor. Dawson played Smith’s love interest for the film, but she also worked with the Oscar-winning actor for Men in Black II. Dawson shared that there were some notable differences between working with Smith on seven books and their previous film.
“I didn’t remember he had an interim coach on Men in Black II, I could be wrong,” Dawson said in an interview with Vulture. “Since then he has finished Ali, so in addition to hitting everything on set, it also gave him a gravity that he really hadn’t had before. As awkward and fun as he can be, he worked with his acting coach a month before. [shooting Seven Pounds].”
But Dawson also felt that playing in seven books could have had a profound effect on Smith that even his wife noticed.
“And that changed his personality to some degree. He looked at people, to the point of being uncomfortable. We had these conversations on set because I was getting really curious if I was talking to Will or Ben. And I think sometimes he didn’t even know. It was interesting talking to him about coming home and hearing Jada say to him, “You’re driving me crazy!” You really gotta stop looking at me like that,” she recalled.
Will Smith Wouldn’t Kiss Rosario Dawson Without Jada Pinkett Smith Being With Him On ‘Seven Pounds’ Set
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Dawson revealed that one of the hardest scenes to get through was their love scenes. If only because, according to her, the Bad Boys star was shy when it came time to get intimate.
“Here’s the guy who was pushing our kiss to love the end and the end and the end of the program,” Dawson said Go to Hollywood. “So the point was like, ‘OK, I know I don’t smell…I know I brushed my teeth…I did the deodorant!'”
She tried to offer words of encouragement to Smith to help ease his worries.
“You’re just nervous. You’re nervous about kissing me. Don’t worry baby, I’ll be gentle,” she recalled telling him.
In the end, Smith only felt better kissing Dawson if his wife was present. But Jada Pinkett would have some words for Smith before her love scene with Dawson
“He wanted Jada on set,” Dawson continued. “And she was letting him know, ‘Baby, you really gotta bring it! Don’t embarrass me. So she was on my side on this one.
Will Smith Had Trouble With ‘Seven Pounds’ Love Scene Because Of The Way He Was Raised
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Smith would later admit that Dawson was telling the truth about their meeting.
“It’s a lie. Okay, it’s kind of true,” Smith said. “I like to be respectful… [The scene was] kind of like being in a bed and she’s naked and you don’t want to accidentally… you know.
In an interview with Collider, he went into a bit more detail about his feelings towards the love scene. He noted her reaction to kissing Dawson following her upbringing.
“See with love…like for me, my grandmother was really firm and…my mom and my grandmother…about how men are supposed to treat women,” Smith said.
He would also reveal that he would have the other actor’s thoughts in mind while doing these scenes. It distracts him sometimes.
“So it’s like, for me, my worst nightmare is an actress coming onto my set and feeling like I’m taking this as an opportunity to get a quick little feel, you know, legal cheating going on. I just need, especially, women to be comfortable with me,” he explained. “I just don’t want to feel like I’m that guy and doing a love scene and his clothes being taken off and all that, it just puts me in my defensive space but it also hurts the game if I’m in that space.”
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