‘I Blame Denzel’: The F-Bomb-Laced Chat Will Smith Had With Denzel Washington That Prompted Him To Try Dangerous Challenges

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Will Smith, the well-known rapper and actor, is venturing into travel documentaries with his upcoming 2026 series, Pole to Pole with Will Smith, available on Disney+. The show features the Oscar winner tackling exciting and challenging adventures. Interestingly, Smith jokingly credits Denzel Washington with inspiring him to take on this daring project.

Why Does Will Smith “Blame” Denzel Washington For Him Doing Dangerous Challenges On Pole To Pole?

Will Smith is famous for starring in big action movies like Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, and Suicide Squad. He doesn’t strike most people as someone who enjoys real-life risks – something he even discovered while filming Bad Boys for Life. So, it surprised many when he signed on for Pole to Pole, a show that involves genuinely dangerous challenges, like ice diving in the Arctic (where he had a scary, but funny, close call). Recently, on The Tonight Show, Smith jokingly blamed Denzel Washington for his decision to take on the show. He went on to explain:

I really think it started with a conversation I had with Denzel about 15 years ago. I went to his house, and his wife, Pauletta, and Jada Pinkett Smith went off to do their own thing. Denzel had been working all day, and I could tell Pauletta had encouraged him to talk to me. He sat down and explained that your 40s can be a difficult time – a bit ‘funky,’ as he put it. You’ve built a life, but some things just don’t fit anymore. But then, he said, you reach your 50s and just decide to let go and do whatever makes you happy – he called it the ‘F-it 50s.’

Many people approaching mid-life, like myself, are drawn to the idea of embracing a carefree attitude – what Washington calls being in your “Fuck It 50s.” However, that doesn’t mean we’re all going to suddenly take up extreme hobbies like Will Smith, who apparently milked tarantulas and climbed icy mountains in blizzards for his new show. As Smith explained…

He explained that the key is to simply be yourself, pursue your own goals, and accept whatever life brings your way.

Will Smith, known for mentoring rising stars like Tyrese Gibson, recently shared that he recognized areas in his own life needed improvement, echoing Denzel Washington’s advice. Having achieved financial security through hard work and good fortune, Smith realized true fulfillment now depended on confronting his biggest fears. He believes the challenging physical experiences he undertook for his show, Pole to Pole, are helping him do just that.

I’m really happy for Will. However, I intend to avoid difficult or messy situations as much as I can for the time being.

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2026-01-28 23:38