
It’s interesting to think about Will Smith’s career both pre “the slap,” and post-the slap. Pre-the slap, a movie like Hancock seemed a little odd and against type for the actor. Will Smith as a reckless, maligned superhero? That’s not the Will Smith I know. The farthest I could give you for a profane Will Smith was the Bad Boys movies.
However, post-the slap, Hancock feels a lot different now. And, in many ways, better. Because that was the thing about Hancock – it didn’t quite feel right when it debuted back in 2008. Smith had a much cleaner image back then, and it almost felt like it didn’t fit him as an actor. Now, it almost feels on-brand.