Will Smith claims that ‘Emancipation’ star Ben Foster “didn’t acknowledge me” for six months 

December 14, 2022December 14, 2022 Editor

Will Smith says on Red Table Talk that costar Ben Foster “didn’t say a word” to him or “make eye contact” with him while they filmed Emancipation

Ben Foster didn’t properly introduce himself to co-star Will Smith until the final day of production.

Will, 54, takes over as host this week to discuss his performance in Emancipation, which is now available on Apple TV+, alongside his three children Willow, 22, Jaden, 24, and Trey Smith, 30. Will portrays a man named Peter who escapes slavery in the picture, which is based on a true event and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), and Foster, 42, is a vicious hunter of runaways.

Will recalls Foster staying in character for six months by not addressing him in footage published. He claims that the first day of production was hampered by poor weather, so Will started thanking everybody for showing up — but Foster ignored him.

“But what he did that first day,” Will continues, “I was like, ‘Yup. Got it: We’re not playing. This is real; this is serious. We’re not fooling around with these ideas.’ I really credit Ben for clicking me into the next gear of depth and focus.”

On the final foster ultimately broke character on the penultimate day of filming and introduced himself to Will. The moment came after director Antoine Fuqua certified “we got it” and concluded production on the film, giving Foster the green light to abandon his tactics.

“Then I look over at Ben, it’s his last day, and he says, ‘Nice to meet you. Ben,’ ” Will recalls with a smile as he laughs with his kids.

“[I’ve] been a fan of Will Smith for a long time, so it was an honour to work with him and he’s done some of the finest work, I believe, of his career,” Foster told PEOPLE at the Los Angeles premiere of Emancipation on Nov. 30.

He remarked on Will’s celebrity: “It’s like asking how to describe a sunset. What words can you use to describe the stars? Some people are born with it. But what I witnessed was him going deeper than I had ever seen before.”

Will Smith’s Red Table Talk Takeover with Willow, Jaden, and Trey will be available to watch on Facebook Watch beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET.