Will Smith Feels "Responsible" For Coronavirus Misinformation

Will Smith is making up for the misinformation he feels he partook in spreading about viruses by starring in the 2007 post-apocalyptic film, I Am Legend, about a deadly disease that wipes out most of mankind. Will took a seat at his family’s Facebook Watch series, Red Table Talk, to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, in an episode titled, “What You Need To Know About Coronavirus.” The patriarch of the famous family began the emergency episode by cracking a joke about how he participated in misleading folks about viruses.

“I wanted to do this because in 2008, I made I Am Legend, so I feel responsible for a lot of the misinformation,” he said, although he did get the film’s date wrong by one year. However, as Uproxx points out, the similarities between the coronavirus outbreak and the plague in I Am Legend are pretty slim, as the cinematic story “featured a virus that essentially turned humans into a sort of vampire zombie hybrid.” Despite the differences between this particular onscreen portrayal of a virus and the reality we are living today, Will explains the relevance of what he learned when he visited the Center for Disease Control (CDC) back then to prepare for his role as a virologist in the film. “It really changed my life and how I looked at the world,” he revealed. “There’s basic concepts that people do not understand.”

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The Smiths also managed to snag an interview with the director of the Center for Infectious Diseases, Michael Osterholm. The virus expert offered up plenty of useful information, among that was debunking the misconception that coronavirus is largely transmitted through touching doorknobs and rubbing one’s eyes. “It may occur rarely,” he says. “But the most important way is just breathing in the air.” He also recommends that individuals have more than just three to six feet separation between themselves and others at this time. “If one of you had it in the room you’re in right now,” he told the Smith family, “you might transmit it to everyone sitting around the table.'” Uh oh. At least Jaden won’t be spreading coronavirus to his family members, as Jada explained that he’s keeping his distance from them after traveling a lot recently.