The actor recently sat down with fellow actors Michael Caine, Benicio Del Toro, Joel Edgerton, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Ruffalo, as part of The Hollywood Reporter's 2015 Actor Roundtable, to talk about prejudice in their industry, among other things.
Smith made a distinction between prejudice and 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," the "Focus" star said. "But there is a
connotation with racism of superiority: You feel that your race
generally is superior.
Smith said that while he lives "with constant prejudice," the times he deals with racism "is actually rare."
"The times I have come in contact with it, you get away from those people," the actor said.
Fortunately, Smith said, actors have "the ultimate power" for combating hate.
"Historically, story combined with imagery moves humanity forward," he
said. "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."
In his latest film, "Concussion," which opens Christmas Day, Smith plays
real-life forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, who first identified a
degenerative disease in football players known as CTE, or chronic
traumatic encephalopathy.
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