- Will Smith said his "Emancipation" costar went off-script and spit on him while filming a scene.
- Smith said that he was shocked when the actor "ad-libbed" the moment.
Will Smith recalled being shocked when his "Emancipation" costar went off-script and spit on him while filming the drama movie.
"As the years have gone on, I've gotten more and more locked into these characters for longer periods of time," Smith said in a teaser clip shared ahead of his takeover of "Red Table Talk" on Facebook Watch.
As part of the latest episode of "RTT," releasing on Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET, Smith will be discussing "Emancipation" with his children Trey Smith, Jaden Smith, and Willow Smith.
The Oscar-winning actor plays an enslaved man named Peter in Antoine Fuqua's film, which was inspired by the famous 1863 photos of "Whipped Peter."
Smith described the intensity of the role, saying: "It's just the weight of this story, the weight of these experiences, the quality of the actors. It was emotionally, it was physically, it was spiritually taxing."
The star recalled a particularly surprising moment that happened early on while filming.
"One of the first days on set, there was a scene with one of the actors," he said. "And then he leans down to my face and says, 'You're a cold one, ain't you?'
Smith said that his unnamed costar "ad-libbed" by spitting on him.
He was referring to a scene early in the movie, in which Sergeant Howard (played by Steven Ogg) catches Peter helping another enslaved man get off the ground. Howard points a gun at Peter, telling him, "I say someone needs help," before delivering the aforementioned line.
After reenacting his exaggerated reaction at the red table, with his kids bursting into laughter, Smith added: "I was like, 'Makeup!'"
"I was like, 'Whoa, every actor on this set was taking it really, really seriously,'" he said.