Culture news “Brilliant”: 17 years later, Will Smith praises this actress from I Am Legend: she is not human
Starring in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Will Smith recently looked back on his career on the set of the show Hot Ones. The opportunity for the actor to remember his greatest roles, but also saluted one of his best partners on screen: the dog Abbey.
An extraordinary actress
Will Smith recently carried out a brief promotional tour for the theatrical release of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the new installment of the Bad Boys saga in which the actor reunites with his friend Martin Lawrence. It was on this occasion that the actor participated in Hot Ones – the American version – the show in which the presenter and guests chat over pieces of fried chicken topped with hot sauce. During the show, the actor looked back on some of his notable roles, including that of Robert Neville in the film I’m a legend. And he took the time to greet his partner on screen, the dog Abbey who then played Sam and who was, according to the actor, an extraordinary actress.
It was as if Abbey could speak English. (…) She could literally understand you, it was completely crazy.
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Will Smith’s best friend
According to the actor, acting alongside Abbey was like acting with “a brilliant actress.” Abbey was a German shepherd trained specifically to play roles on screen, a talent that likely impressed Will Smith, who remembered one sequence in particular, when Robert had to say goodbye to Sam.
Abbey made it easy. Abbey was taught to let her body go limp and I laid her down on the floor. How do you train a dog to do something like this? For me, it felt like I was working with a brilliant actress.
The chemistry was so good between Will Smith and Abbey that the actor tried to adopt him. Unfortunately for him, Abbey came from a family that could not afford to part with it. Abbey therefore remained with his family without ever really shining on the screen again, before passing away in 2023. Will Smith also paid tribute to him on his Instagram account by sharing a moving video on the occasion of International Animal Day.
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