A lot of people have regrets in their lives, it’s natural, we’re human after all, and mistakes are made sometimes that we don’t intend but have to live with anyway. If any human being tells you they don’t have any regrets in life it usually means that they don’t have any huge regrets that they can’t live with, or they’re possibly very naive and even a bit narcissistic in their way of thinking. A lot of people know that Will Smith has a pretty healthy ego, but even he can admit that there are moments in his life when he does wish that he would have done things differently. In the movie Six Degrees of Separation, which was one of his earliest attempts at something bigger than TV back in the 90s. In fact, this was the movie he starred in before he stepped it up and went on to his Bad Boys fame with Martin Lawrence. His role as Paul, a con artist that gained the confidence of many rich, well-to-do families and couples, was one that a lot of people might have missed simply because he wasn’t a big star yet. But it was also a role that could have been pivotal had he completed one scene as he’d originally intended.
Men kissing on film isn’t a big deal any longer. Some folks might not want to watch it and others might think it’s perfectly natural, but the point here is that Will regrets not going through with a kissing scene in Six Degrees of Separation since he felt it was immature of him to not do so. How it would have affected his career is hard to say since he was advised by Denzel Washington not to do the scene, even though he’d already planned on doing it. The moment which took place between him and Anthony Michael Hall, one of the many famous members of the infamous Brat Pack of the 80s, was shown in a way that implied that the kiss took place, but without actually showing much of anything happening. To this day it sounds as though Will regrets not being mature enough to film the scene as he originally intended.
Without trying to offend anyone it’s likely that a lot of people don’t remember this movie quite as well as they do others that Will has starred in since it does still mark his beginning as a movie star and not his greatest days. But there is something to be said about the scene simply because many other stars have faced this kind of scene and have either done it, or they’ve found another way to get around it. This does have a great deal to do with a person’s beliefs and what they will and won’t do, but for actors, there’s a certain risk that comes with not doing something, or with actually doing it and sending a distinct impression to the rest of Hollywood. The fact that Will was ready to do this scene could have been a sign that he was ready to do whatever it took to further his career and, perhaps in Denzel’s eyes this meant that he would suffer a great many indignities throughout his career.
But the fact is that the scene didn’t go down as planned and Will has obviously looked back on this and thought about it quite often. To be fair, it didn’t ruin his career and he’s had a great deal of success at this point, which makes his regret a little less sensible, even though to him it’s likely that it will remain as something he thinks about from time to time. One has to wonder if he’s ever spoken to Anthony Michael Hall about this, but the reality is that when it comes to regrets this should probably be close to the bottom of the barrel since Will’s time in the movies has been something that many people would call absolutely stupendous since for years now he’s been one of the top stars around the globe. Downplaying another person’s regrets isn’t the goal here of course, since it’s something he might think about for a while to come, but pointing out all the great things he’s done and the manner in which his career has become an inspiration for so many others should be a balm that might ease his mind.
But until he comes to grips with it, which he likely already has, and allows it to remain in the past, Will is no doubt going to wonder what might have happened had he gone through with the scene. It’s a personal thing that only he can make peace with, but like everyone, it’s a regret that he’ll no doubt live with for years to come. Hey, we all have them, and we all deal with them in different ways.
