Will Smith made his first major appearance of 2016 over the weekend in California alongside the real-life subject of the actor’s latest film, Concussion, Dr Bennet Omalu. The two flew in for the Palm Springs international film festival to attend Variety’s Creative Impact awards on Sunday, at a festive brunch that also honored writer-director Charlie Kaufman, who recently released his first-ever animated film, Anomalisa, and a roster of 10 up-and-coming directors who were named the publication’s 10 directors to watch for 2016.
Directed by award-winning investigative journalist Peter Landesman (who was included in the list of film-makers on the rise), Concussion centers on Omalu (Smith), the Nigerian forensic pathologist and neuropathologist who inadvertently found himself in a war against the National Football League after discovering chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in football players who took countless blows to the head playing the sport.
“I am a football dad. So when I got that screenplay, I was concerned,” Smith said in accepting his Creative Impact Award from Omalu. “Omalu just wanted to tell the truth and what we do is deliver the truth.”
Smith made a point to note that he’s played real-life figures before on screen, like Muhammed Ali (in 2001’s Ali) and Chris Gardner (in 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness). “There are pros and cons to that,” he said of portraying real people. “The pros are that you get to call people (with questions) when you’re on the set ... but one of the major cons is you fail to realize one day you’re going to be sitting with that person while they watch you play them.”
When it came to Concussion, “I sat behind Bennet watching the movie for the first time,” said Smith. “He was giving me nothing for about 45 minutes. I’m like, ‘Oh, no.’ I’m dying, I’m dying.’ And then he turns around and,” Smith flashed a thumbs up and big smile to mimic the doctor’s warm approval.
In fact, Omalu said that Smith was so convincing in the role, that the doctor’s 80-year-old mother was fooled into thinking it was her son on screen. “He stole my soul from me,” Omalu said. “I came away from the film thinking Will Smith was me.”
Comedian Jack Black followed Smith on stage to present Kaufman with the event’s second Creative Impact Award. Said Black: “If Vincent Van Gogh wrote screenplays, he would be the Charlie Kaufman of screenplays.” In accepting his honor, Kaufman dryly said: “I’m embarrassed but grateful for this award, but I don’t know what it’s called as Jack didn’t mention it.”
Below is the full list of Variety’s 10 directors to watch:
Don Cheadle, Miles Ahead
Deniz Gamze Erguven, Mustang
Alex Garland, Ex Machina
Ciro Guerra, Embrace of the Serpent
Slavek Horak, Home Care
Duke Johnson, Anomalisa
Peter Landesman, Concussion
Laszlo Nemes, Son of Saul
Matt Ross, Captain Fantastic
Elizabeth Wood, White Girl
