Mr. Will Smith

It has long been part of my practice to show the more complex and messy parts of human nature in my portraits, and occasionally it pays off in a big way.

I photographed Will Smith in a hotel room in New York for 15 minutes in 2005. Will was low-key and friendly, as is his persona. A big upside to a short session is that it permits you to be bold from the outset. No gentle scenarios before asking for what you really want, we get right into it.

I asked him to do several poses for the camera, some straightforward, some odd or goofy. There was one thing that he would not do. He was wearing a beret, or little sailor cap, so I asked him to salute like he was in the Navy, and he gave me a sideways look, and said, “I don’t think so.” Nevertheless, when I asked him to punch at the camera, he was on board and delivered this banger.

When I made the picture, Will Smith was known as a good guy and a gentleman. But he was also an action star, so it gave him space to get a little aggressive.

Even before the Oscar slap that rang around the world, I recognized it as a unique picture and included it in my 2017 Uneasy book. But it became richer and more meaningful as Will Smith’s complicated family life became public.