Why Does Will Smith Think He's "the Most Natural Choice" to Play Barack Obama?

Men in Black III star also jokes that the president is "working on the ending right now" of a film about his life

By Rebecca Macatee May 22, 2012 4:53 PMTags
Barack Obama, Will Smith Paul Fenton/ZUMAPress.com; Elisabetta A. Villa/Getty Images

Will Smith's always saving the world on the silver screen; why not lead it, too?

In a recent interview with the BBC, the Men in Black III star said playing Barack Obama "is "definitely something I would consider." He also revealed the hilarious reason he feels he's "the most natural choice" to play the president…

"It's about the ears! That's the thing. You know, people see the ears, and Barack and I both have the ears," he said, exaggeratedly pulling one ear out to the side. "So I'm the most natural choice."

Smith, 43, related that he joked to Obama that while he would consider playing him onscreen, it was up to the president "to write the ending…So he's working on the ending right now."

Smith also revealed that his 13-year-old son, Jaden, recently questioned Obama about aliens.

"Barack is talking about the Situation Room, and Jaden says, 'Excuse me, Mr. President?' And Barack said, 'Don't tell me,' and in perfect form—like, this is why he's the president—he stopped and looked at Jaden and said, 'The aliens, right?' And I was like, 'Oh, shoot!'" Smith recalled." And he said, 'OK, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of extraterrestrials, but I can tell you if there had been a top-secret meeting and if there would have had to have been a discussion about it, it would have taken place in this room.'"

Will and Barack don't just have their ears in common: They've both got an abundance of wit and charm!