Will Smith shared a memorable and painful experience from the filming of the 2001 biopic Ali during an appearance on First We Feast’s Hot Ones.
Smith, who portrayed the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, recounted the hardest hit he ever received on a movie set, delivered by Michael Bentt, who played Sonny Liston in the film. The incident occurred while Smith was working on perfecting his boxing stance under the guidance of his trainer.
“My trainer was trying to get me to get the angle of my spine forward. And in this second I just was like, ‘You know what? Commit.’ And I committed and leaned forward,” Smith said on “Hot Ones.” “Almost as an instinctual reaction, Michael Bentt threw a right hand. And I saw it coming at the last second and I put my head down. And he caught me with a right hand right on top of my head.”
The punch landed squarely on top of Smith’s head, sending a shock of pain down his arms. (RELATED: ‘A Unique Monster’: Actor Shares His Thoughts On The Dangers Of Fame)
“Didn’t knock my head back, it compressed my neck down onto my spine. I felt an electrical shock go down the back of both arms to my elbows,” he continued.
MIAMI – DECEMBER 6: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali (L) stands with actor Will Smith at the Miami Art Basel Taschen book premiere of Ali’s new book, “GOAT – Greatest Of All Time” at the Miami Convention Center December 6, 2003 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gregorio Binuya/Getty Images)
Smith also praised director Michael Mann for his commitment to authenticity.
“When we were shooting Ali, Michael Mann wouldn’t allow music to be played on the set that was made after whatever date we were shooting,” he recalled. “That’s how wild he is about capturing the authenticity of a moment.”
