Will Smith's New Role As A "Bum Superhero"

Movie Star Says "Hancock" Is Opposite Of His Own Persona

(CBS)  Will Smith is the undisputed king of the July 4 weekend movie blockbuster - and this year is no different.

In his latest film, "Hancock," Smith plays a superhero with a mysterious past and a bad attitude. The actor refers to the title role as a "bum superhero."

"He is rude. Mean to kids," he told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. "Like that was so bizarre and opposite to, you know, what my natural instincts (are). It actually was difficult for the first couple of weeks, but actually turned into one of those guilty pleasures."

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Photos: "Hancock" Arrives In L.A.

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Smith says that as an actor, he is always trying to find someone on whom he can model the character.

"When you look at a character, you are trying to find something in your life that you have some comprehension of," he said. "And the big superstar athlete was sort of the approach. Where, you know, someone is so talented and people expect so much from him that they are not allowed to really be human."

Actor Jason Bateman plays a public relations executive who decides he's going to give Hancock a makeover that includes a superhero costume.

"Hancock is fighting it all along the way," said Smith. "He doesn't like that, but we made one major adjustment from most superheroes. We put the underwear on the inside of the pants. Which, that's huge. That's ground-breaking. You know, it's like, you know, Americans, we're really used to our superheroes having the underwear on the outside. We broke genre."

The movies Smith has released over the July 4 weekend have been box office smashes. "Independence Day" in 1996, "Men In Black" in 1997, and "Men In Black II" in 2002 all grossed more than $50 million in their opening weekend, according to the Web site BoxOfficeMojo.com.

Smith doesn't take credit for being the reason his movies have done so well on Independence Day.

"It's funny because it's not - it's not about me, right, per se," he said. "Like I study the patterns of the universe. Things happen certain ways. So you line up the elements and then the universe does the work, okay? The 4th of July is the biggest American movie weekend and has been for 40 years. So you put a movie that has special effects. You make it funny and PG-13."

Sounds like a simple formula, but Smith admits there's one more factor.

"You've got to make the movie good," he said. "To me, that's the only hard part."

[whiskyrocker]

Stupid movie. Don''t waste your hard earned $$ to see this movie.

[shippg-2009]

I saw the movie today, and it was just fine. I had read the reviews (like Rotten Tomatoes dot com) and almost none of the critics liked it. There''s a fun surprise about half way through, and the movie kind of changes course. That was the part the critics hated, but it was great.

[avigil2]

What''s with all the haters here? If you''re not a fan, don''t see his movies. But don''t spew your hate for someone who''s very successful and who has a huge fan base. You think he''s gay? So what! Is that the worst thing you can become? Of course not! GET OVER IT! His movies entertain the masses and he''s quite the charming guy. Haters... I''ll never understand them. And I actually feel sorry for them (I''m talking to you FlangeSqueal).

[whiskyrocker]

Most overrated actor of all time.

[alexbaran]

Will Smith is soooo............ HOT!!!!! I read about his work out routine and his diet at http://projectweightloss.com! OOOOhhh my God! He is sooo fit!

[alexbaran]

Will Smith is soooo............ HOT!!!!! I read about his work out routine and his diet at http://projectweightloss.com! OOOOhhh my God! He is sooo fit!

[loneeagle57]

Will smith congrats you just won the get off my planet award. for more info check us out on myspace. getoffmyplanetawards/myspace

[keithle1]

Cool cat. Smart. "Hancock" doesn''t appeal to me at all. Haven''t seen "I Am Legend" yet. I liked "The Pursuit of Happyness." He kicks butt in that. His son is great too. Natural. Smith is also good in "Six Degrees of Separation" (1993) with Donald Sutherland & Stockard Channing.

[ajaxrose1]

Who let the paranoid nutball in here? This is a piece about Will Smith''s new movie, not foreign trade. I heard the movie isn''t that great, too, but I''ll see it just because I''m a big Will Smith fan. He''s one of the best actors out there, in my opinion, and he''s handsome to boot. What''s not to go see?

[misssuzq]

Heard this movie is not good, but I will see it anyway because of Will Smith.

[Marie Zarankevich]

I think I will wait until I see the movie. -- Is anyone else uneasy with foreign, not necessarily friendly, interests buying up so much of American business, entertainment, technology, and infrastructure? -- Am I the only person who is uncomfortable with this scenario? -- While it is beautiful, there IS an awful lot of middle eastern music showing up as background music in our television shows. -- I wonder if this is significant. -- Well, we will eventually find out, wont we? -- Silly us!