The American political landscape is so upsetting to Will Smith it keeps him up at night. It’s so bad, he said, that he’s thinking about setting aside his Fresh Prince-dom to run for political office “in the near future.”
On the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s “Award Chatter” podcast, Smith revealed that he’s considering making the transition from actor to politician with a vague statement that looks like it came out of campaign speechwriter’s notebook.
“I’m a climber, so if I see a mountain, I have to climb it. I’m not a camper; I don’t like hanging in one place too long. So I think, at this point, I’m elevating my ability to be useful in the world. I think that that’s what my grandmother always hoped, that I would make myself useful to people in this lifetime. I’m working really hard and my storytelling is elevating, my ability to be eloquent with my body and with my voice and to deliver ideas as an actor is elevating. And, you know, as I look at the political landscape, I think that there might be a future out there for me. They might need me out there. This is the first year that I’ve been incensed to a level that I can’t sleep, you know? So I’m feeling that at some point, in the near future, I will have to lend my voice to the conversation in a somewhat different way.”
Clearly this is not a “Kanye 2016” situation. Smith goes to long lengths not to make any promises, but that almost makes it sound more realistic, right? Will Smith is not, at this moment, running for political office… But he could be. Conspiracy theorists, start your engines!
In the meantime, there are so many important questions that still need answering: What office would he run for? What issues would he like to focus on? Where can I sign up for his campaign newsletter?
You can listen to Smith’s full conversation on The Hollywood Reporter ‘s site or download the podcast on iTunes.