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Max Landis had a David Ayer as the director in mind when he wrote the script. In fact, he dedicated the script to David.
Will Smith has been to the Philippines but only for vacation. “I have to come down and do a premiere or something,” he said.
Director David Ayer speaks a little Tagalog. “Kamusta ka?” he asked at the red carpet, revealing later that he had spent a month in Subic when he was in the navy. He said, “I have Filipino friends in LA. My stunt coordinator Rob Alonzo is from the Philippines and we talk about that and I love Filipino food.”
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David doesn’t get a lot of time to binge-watch shows but his current favorite is the second season of Stranger Things.
Independence Day was the film that changed Will Smith’s life. “That Friday, everyone was calling me Will. That Monday, after Independence Day came out, was the first time anybody called me Mr. Smith.”
Variety is Will Smith’s secret to longevity. “In terms of doing different things, that’s always been a deep passion and pleasure of mine, to be able to move through different genres. I think a big part of being able to extend a career is to be able to go from a romantic comedy into a drama into an action into a fantasy movie and by working in music and television and even in Netflix. Being able to do something different is a part of how I think about trying to creative longevity in this business,” he said.
Even at the premiere and press conference, the funny Will Smith played a variety of roles, charming us completely. He was cheerleader, constantly yelling “Whoo!” in excitement and, David said, “He was like this every day when we were shooting.” At the press conference, he handed a Japanese journalist the microphone and helped translate his question for director David Ayer and then helped clear the stage, carrying tables and chairs, for the photo call.
Will Smith will be working on “Gemini Man” with Ang Lee next. “I don’t know how much I’m allowed to talk about it because I’d hate to get fired but he’s doing really spectacular things with technology and with cinema… We’ve been working together for six months already and we don’t even start ’til next year.”
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If forced to choose, producer Eric Newman (who is also the showrunner for our Netflix fave Narcos) would be an elf. “But I’d be a benevolent, kind, charitable elf. You don’t want to be a fairy, a fairy is like being a rodent.”
When watching “Bright,” try to spot the dragon in one scene. “It was a real dragon that flew into the shot,” Eric joked. “We can pay to remove it but it was too much money.”
David said, “The idea is that we’re just seeing a little slice of a much bigger world. It’s like looking through a keyhole and you only see a little bit and I want it to feel bigger and have more life than I can explore in one movie.“
And yes, that means there will be another “Bright” movie. Netflix has already ordered a sequel.