We’ve heard from the screenwriter of Contagion, the author of World War Z, and now it’s Will Smith‘s turn to parlay his experience making entertainment about a deadly virus into a discussion about the COVID-19. In the opening moments of his family’s Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk, Smith couldn’t help but crack a joke about his star role in I Am Legend, according to Entertainment Weekly:
“I wanted to do this because in 2008 I made I Am Legend so I feel responsible for a lot of the misinformation,” Smith joked early in the one-hour Facebook Watch original. (Although Smith is a year off. I Am Legend came out in 2007.)
Obviously, the parallels between the film and the coronavirus are extremely tenuous at best. I Am Legend featured a virus that essentially turned humans into a sort of vampire zombie hybrid, while COVID-19 is not doing anything like that at all. However, while preparing for the role, Smith did research at the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which he found illuminating. “It really changed my life and how I looked at the world,” Smith said. “There’s basic concepts that people do not understand.”
On a more scientific note, Smith’s star power managed to land a satellite interview with Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Diseases who offered valuable real world information on the current pandemic.
Among his many words of advice was clearing up the misconception that people are getting the virus not only through the air but from grabbing doorknobs and rubbing their eyes. “It may occur rarely. But the most important way is just breathing in the air,” Osterholm said.
He also added that he recommends more than just three to six feet separation between you and others at this time. “If one of you had it in the room you’re in right now,” Osterholm said to the Smith family, “you might transmit it to everyone sitting around the table.”
The Smiths also offered up their son Jaden as an example of how to be a “responsible human being.” While he’s normally on the video series, Jaden has been recently traveling, so he’s been practicing social distancing out of concern for his elderly “Gammy,” according to ET Canada. We can’t believe we’re saying it, but be more like Jaden, everybody.
You can watch the full episode below:
