Will Smith felt an electrical shock down his spine on Ali sets when he was hit hard: 'Where the f--- are my keys?’

Actors playing real-life athletes on screen face a significant commitment because it's no longer just about delivering a stellar acting performance. The essence of the portrayal begins at the very core, requiring the actor to adapt to the character down to the very DNA. There's no room for error or fictionalization since these are lives that have been lived in the real world. This intense process often leads to accidents on set, which actors later talk about like a badge of honor once the films are released and appreciated. One actor with such a story is Will Smith, who has a tale from his time working on Ali. In this film, he portrayed Muhammad Ali, the iconic boxer who is nothing short of a global legend. The movie was incredibly well-received, but did you know that Smith had a particularly tough time filming it, including taking a punch that sent a shock down his spine?

Will Smith's Tragic Ali Accident

Now 55, Will Smith starred as Muhammad Ali in the biopic Ali. The film, released in 2001, was directed by Michael Mann and became one of the most revered films of that year and for years to come. Recently, while promoting his film Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, Smith spoke about the most challenging moments on set, recalling an incident from the filming of Ali. He described it as “the hardest I've ever been hit on a movie set.” Read on to learn more about this incident.

Will Smith appeared on First We Feast’s Hot Ones podcast, where he recounted the story from the set of Ali. He remembered working with Michael Bentt, who played Sonny Liston in the film, and a trainer. “My trainer was trying to get me to angle my spine forward. And in that moment, I just thought, ‘You know what? Commit.’ So I leaned forward,” he explained.

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Smith continued, “Almost as an instinctual reaction, Michael Bentt threw a right hand. I saw it coming at the last second and ducked my head down. But he caught me with a right hand right on top of my head.” The blow didn’t knock his head back but instead compressed his neck onto his spine. “I felt an electrical shock go down the back of both arms to my elbows,” he added.

In that painful moment, the only thing Smith could feel was “an electrical taste” in his mouth, and the thought running through his mind was, “‘Where the f--- are my keys? Where are my car keys?’” Ali earned Smith an Oscar nomination, one of the three he has received so far. Reflecting on the shoot, Smith recalled, “When we were shooting Ali, Michael Mann wouldn’t allow any music on set that was made after the date we were depicting in the film. That's how dedicated he was to capturing the authenticity of the moment.”

Ali is available to watch on Lionsgate Play, and you can stream it with your OTTplay Premium subscription. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

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