Will Smith (II)

  • American
  • Actor

Press clippings

BBC is 'very, very white', says Lenny Henry

Veteran comedian says corporation is an 'oppressive institution', also claiming Will Smith has stopped 'being black'.

The Guardian, 16th May 2016

Radio Times review

If there's one man who knows how to put on a show on Graham Norton's red sofa it's Will Smith. The Fresh Prince traditionally offers up a special surprise of a Friday night with Norton: a dance party reunion featuring Smith's former co-star Alfonso Ribeiro and our Graham doing "The Carlton" gained millions of views on YouTube.

He's in to talk about American football drama Concussion this time around, but with Ryan Reynolds discussing devious superhero flick Deadpool and Dad's Army reboot stars Catherine Zeta Jones and Toby Jones completing the line up, there's bound to be seriously explosive fun.

Sarah Doran, Radio Times, 19th January 2016

Will Smith's novel "Mainlander" optioned for TV

Mainlander by British comedian Will Smith has been optioned for television by See-Saw Films.

Joshua Farrington, The Bookseller, 16th April 2015

Radio Times review

Will Smith returns to the scene of two great triumphs: that time he spontaneously did the rap from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and that time he spontaneously did it again. What could rack up 30 million YouTube hits now? The star is on the sofa alongside Margot Robbie, so for at least some of the programme he'll have to sit still and discuss their new movie, the heist-romance Focus. They're joined by Hugh Jackman, who recently confessed that his years in Hollywood meant he had to re-learn Australian dialect for his latest film, Chappie.

Completing the line-up is Noel Gallagher. He's a fantastic chat-show guest, so let's hope he's not there solely to sing a song from his upcoming Chasing Yesterday LP.

Jack Seale, Radio Times, 27th February 2015

Graham Norton may have been made more family-friendly of late, but the dildo-brandisher of the past still capers somewhere at the back of his consciousness; his chat show remains peppered with arch humour, and sycophancy is earned by guests rather than doled out to all, as with Jonathan Ross. Tonight's instalment is a best-bits clip show, in case you missed his sparring with Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, Amy Adams and Will Smith, plus UK talent such as Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian, 5th July 2013

There have been some proper magic moments during the most recent run of the peerless Graham Norton Show, and you can relive them all in this compilation.

Probably the biggest moment was the Fresh Prince of Bel Air reunion when Will Smith, with son Jaden, introduced Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton in the show, to dance to "It's Not Unusual". It became a monster YouTube hit. And Star Trek: Into Darkness stars Chris Pine and Benedict Cumberbatch were good value when they hugged devoted audience members who'd travelled from as far as Japan just to see them on the show. Now that's love.

Alison Graham, Radio Times, 5th July 2013

The best guests sit on Norton's sofa and tonight's line-up is all Hollywood glitter. Big, smiley Bradley Cooper is a Norton regular who's always great fun - who can forget him flirting outrageously with Jo Brand? He's with Heather Graham to promote another of his Hangover films.

Will Smith did the unimaginable and eclipsed Sir Tom Jones last time he appeared when he did the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air rap with Gary Barlow. Tonight he's with son Jaden (the pair star together in After Earth), while Michael Douglas will be talking about his latest role as Liberace.

Alison Graham, Radio Times, 24th May 2013

Though its fourth season has been its least impressive, Armando Iannucci's political satire will none the less go down as one of the best ever British comedies: sharp and cynical. Tonight, after last Saturday's excellent Leveson and Chilcot-inspired special, it finally bows out, with an instalment overflowing with delicious duplicity and inventive insults - not least from Malcom Tucker (the ever-wonderful Peter Capaldi) who gives Ollie Reader (Chris Addison) a hilarious dressing down.

The episode picks up with the Home Office having cut police numbers, which in turn has created a huge backlog of arrest paperwork. Cleverly, however, they've managed to shift the blame onto the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship for the burgeoning queues at police stations. "I doubt there are any major criminals on the loose," says Phil Smith (Will Smith). "This is about paperwork; it's not Con Air." Elsewhere, Dan Miller (Tony Gardner), at Malcolm's suggestion, is sent on a fact-finding mission to a police station in an attempt to make the Government look unresponsive. To say any more about the plot would give too much away, but viewers can expect a climax that is as poignant as it is amusing.

Patrick Smith, The Telegraph, 26th October 2012

Ronna and Beverley must be hilarious live, because that's surely the only way they managed to bag a Sky Atlantic chat show that can pull in guests of the calibre of Jon Hamm and Will Arnett. Despite the duo's best attempts at outrageous sexual humour, this lukewarm comedy offering ends up being as shocking as an announcement of delays on the Northern Line. In spite of attempts to sex her up, Sue Perkins remains well within her comfort zone. And the X-rated revelation they bamboozle Will Arnett into: 'I have never had sex with Will Smith.' In between guests, one of their skits sees them upset unwitting Women's Institute members by talking about blowjobs. Isn't good comedy only meant to skewer people in positions of power?

Alexi Duggins, Time Out, 17th September 2012

I recently attended a Graham Norton Show recording, so I can bear witness that it's a brilliantly slick operation and Norton is a master of audience-wrangling, winning us all over immediately and making us feel a big part of the show - though not bigger than the array of guests, who we'll see again in this end-of-series compilation.

Remember Madonna, being her usual steely and scary self, despite Norton's efforts to try to get her to loosen up a bit? And what of the great Sir David Attenborough, all soft and mooning, not over a gorilla, but a comely young woman - actress Cameron Diaz? Just watch his face as he hangs on her every single word.

We also see again Dame Judi Dench, Hugh Grant, Katy Perry and the voluble, unstoppable force that is Will Smith.

Alison Graham, Radio Times, 6th July 2012

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