Will Smith says prejudice is everywhere but racism is rare

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Will Smith recently sat down with a group of A-list actors, including Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Benicio Del Toro and Michael Caine, for the The Hollywood Reporter‘s highly esteemed Actor Roundtable.

Smith, whose upcoming film Concussion is already generating major Oscar buzz, decided to explain the difference between racism and prejudice. While Smith said that he lives “with constant prejudice,” racism is something he deals with rarely. But he has dealt with it throughout his career.

“My wife and I were just having this conversation, and we were going to the dictionary for ‘prejudice’ versus ‘racism.’ Everybody is prejudiced. Everybody has their life experiences that make them prefer one thing over another — it makes them prefer blond hair over a brunette; if you see somebody with dark skin walking down the street, you have a different reaction than you have [with] someone who is 5-foot-1 and white,” Smith explained. “But there is a connotation with racism of superiority: You feel that your race generally is superior. And I have to say, I live with constant prejudice, but racism is actually rare — someone who thinks their race is superior. I don’t want to work for them. I don’t want to work at that company. And the times I have come in contact with it, you get away from those people.”

Smith later went out to express his belief that actors ultimately have the power to have a significant impact on how people view race throughout the world:  

“Historically, story combined with imagery moves humanity forward. What we do — not that it’s a responsibility, but it is the ultimate forum for changing people’s hearts and minds. So when I’m choosing a movie, I understand the global power of being able to send imagery around the world. A large part of the way that America is viewed globally is from the historical imagery that we have sent around the world through cinema. Any time I put something in the world, I am always connecting to an idea. I’m always asking, “Why am I making this?” With Concussion, Dr. Bennet Omalu was deeply connected to tell the truth. And he said that truth doesn’t have a side. I thought that was such a powerful idea. Whose side are you on? Are you a Republican or a Democrat? I’m just trying to tell the truth. The truth doesn’t have a side.We talked, we met, we sat for hours and hours about it. I wanted to make that movie so badly, but I felt the only way was, it had to be a love story, not a vengeance story. I don’t believe in violence as the reaction to violence. So when I’m looking at that, it’s like: “No, no, no. It has to be for love.” We can’t look at what happens in Paris [the terrorist attacks] and want to f— somebody up for that. Violence begets violence. So I just couldn’t connect to violence being the answer. Love had to be the answer.

So what do you think about Smith’s poignant take on racism vs. prejudice?