Will Smith speaks Spanish. And we’re not talking about creative phrases like “tengo un gato en mis pantalones” but full-on, complete and comprehensible statements.
Accompanied by his young protégé and youngest son Jaden, the former Prince of Bel-Air attended Wednesday’s New York premiere of “After Earth,” where NBC Latino contributor Jack Rico stopped the duo for some questions directed at Latino fans.
“For the Latinos, why should everyone go see After Earth?,” Rico asked the 44-year-old star on the red carpet. While other celebs might have simply stared back in confusion, Will gave a big smile and eagerly broke out into some very impressive Spanish. (Check Out The Video Above)
“La película basada un mil años en el futuro -- y tengo miedo porque necesito practicar más mi español -- pero la película tiene acción y efectos especiales pero la película es de un padre y de un hijo, como se dice, de...sobre...to survive?...[Rico helps out] ¡Sobrevivir! Sí, Gracias!”
“The movie [sic] based one thousand year in the future -- I’m scared because I need to practice my Spanish -- but the movie has action and special effects. And the movie is about a father and a son that [must], how do you say, of...about...to survive?...[Rico helps out] Survive! Yes, Thanks!”
Despite the struggles, the star clearly did his homework. Yet it seems language is one more thing Jaden can still learn from his father, considering the young co-star was quite lost during the exchange.
In fact, earlier this month the young Smith admitted during a visit to Univision’s Spanish-language morning show “Despierta América” that his Spanish wasn’t as good as his father’s, who despite having translation help on set decided to promote the film in the audiences’ native language.
“Hablo un poquito pero no entiendo mucho [I speak a little but don’t understand much],” confessed the older Smith to host Karla Martínez during an interview in which the actor spoke Spanish for several minutes and joked that he was going to be very jealous to see his wife and actor William Levy together on screen in their upcoming movie “Salsa.”
While definitely not the first time the actor tests out his Spanish with reporters, it certainly never seems to stop surprising fans.
Check out more of the father-son duo’s quirky visit to “Despierta América” below and let us know what you think of the actor’s Spanish skills in the comments.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Jaden Smith as Will Smith's eldest son when he is in fact the actor's youngest son.
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