Will Smith is back to promote his new National Geographic series, “Pole to Pole.” It follows him on a thrilling journey from the North Pole to the South Pole as he explores different environments and interacts with the local culture. In a recent interview, he opened up about a deep-sea diving incident that nearly turned deadly.
Will Smith details his near-death experience while diving
During an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Will Smith got candid about a deep-sea incident that left him shaken. He recounted going scuba diving at the North Pole. In the process, they went under 10 feet of ice. He said that they had gone 40 yards away from the location when he heard someone saying, “Abort dive, abort dive.”
Smith continued, “And I was like, ‘Ohh no. Will, calm down, calm down.’ I had to grab. So you have a tether on and you have to grab your tether and pull yourself back to the hole right? I grabbed and accidentally pulled my mask off.” Fallon was visibly stunned by the revelation, even jumping out of his chair as he reacted to the shocking detail that the “Bad Boys” star had removed his oxygen mask while scuba diving.
Will Smith said that he managed to put his mask back on and began trying to calm his nerves again. He went on, “And I was like, ‘If I get out of here, I’m going to only do black stuff from here on out. I promise, Lord. I promise, Lord. African American behavior from here on out.” This admission from the Oscar winner left the audience in stitches.
The “Men in Black” further said that while he was trying to stay afloat, he felt someone pulling him back with the tether. He added, “That’s when I realized I was good. I just relaxed, and I looked around, and when I tell you like… the sun is coming through to ice and all of that. And it went from like terror to like the spiritual, spiritual, beautiful thing.” He recalled thanking the person who was pulling him back up as he enjoyed the view.
Originally reported by Ankita Shaw on Mandatory.
