Rosario Dawson is giving some interesting behind-the-scenes details on filming ‘Seven Pounds’ with Will Smith
Long before his win for King Richard, Will Smith has been working hard on getting an Oscar trophy. The rapper became an actor fairly early on in his career, praised by Quincy Jones for his raw talent and charisma on camera. Smith has been known to go there for roles, with the full support of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
With 2008’s Seven Pounds, she encouraged Will Smith and co-star Rosario Dawson to do whatever it took to make their relationship feel real. According to Dawson, this meant taking things an extra step while kissing.
Seven Pounds was one of Will Smith’s many dramatic turns in his career. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, it also starred the aforementioned Dawson as well as Woody Harrelson, and Barry Pepper. Released on December 19th, 2008, the movie follows Smith’s Ben Thomas as he tried to change the lives of seven people after a deadly car crash killed seven other folks.
On taking the role, Will Smith said that he wanted to take on roles that tackled the “bittersweetness” in life because it “felt more natural.”
He went on to say, “You don’t ever get it really the way you want in life. That really fascinates me. As an actor, there are certain parts of a character that you create, and you train yourself to have those reactions, and then it becomes hard to stop them when the role is over.”
Rosario Dawson played a love interest in the movie named Emily Posa. Will Smith has opened up about how intimacy on-screen intimidated him but says that Dawson comforted him.
Rosario Dawson recalls that Will was so nervous about their kissing scene in Seven Pounds that he kept pushing it back. Rosario Dawson said that she had some help from Jada Pinkett-Smith in helping ease Will’s worries.
On the day of shooting, Jada Pinkett Smith showed up and egged her husband on. “He wanted Jada to be on set,” Dawson recalls. “And she was letting him know, ‘Baby, you really need to bring it! Don’t embarrass me.’ So, she was on my side on this one.
There was lots of tongue. I mean, I got permission from Jada; I got permission from Jada!”
