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# Will Smith Knows Exactly How Bad _Wild Wild West_ Was

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by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Jun 22, 2016 5:00 PM UTC

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Jun 22, 2016 5:00 PM UTC

[Will Smith](http://time.com/4288465/lonely-island-will-smith-tribute/) is a serious actor now. To prove this the former [_Fresh Prince of Bel-Air_](http://time.com/4029681/fresh-prince-of-bel-air-cast/) turned _Concussion_ star has been trying to distance himself from a little steampunk western flick called _Wild Wild West_.

While Smith starred in the television-show-turned-movie way back in 1999, he is now trying to distance himself from the box office flop, which also featured Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek.

As reported by [_The Hollywood Reporter,_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-lions-will-smith-says-904893) at a Cannes Lion discussion this week, Smith confessed that his decision to star in _Wild Wild West_ was driven by a hunger for fame, which briefly overshadowed his artistic vision. (He [famously](http://mentalfloss.com/article/19305/hollywood-miscalculations-5-famous-actors-and-roles-they-turned-down) passed up playing Neo in _The Matrix_ in order to play gunslinger Jim West in _Wild Wild West_.)

“I had so much success that I started to taste global blood and my focus shifted from my artistry to winning. I wanted to win and be the biggest movie star, and what happened was there was a lag – around _Wild Wild West_ time – I found myself promoting something because I wanted to win versus promoting something because I believed in it,” he said.

“I consider myself a marketer. My career has been strictly being able to sell my products globally, and it’s now in the hand of fans. I have to be in tune with their needs and not trick them into going to see _Wild Wild West_.”

While he didn’t specifically mention his embarrassment over the fact that the [seven-minute video](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2iocz%5Fwill-smith-wild-wild-west-music-vid%5Fcreation) for his theme song to the movie brought the world Sisqó, or whether he regretted performing [“Wild Wild West” live](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5Ft%5FUuTCbCZU) and riding a horse through the auditorium before hitting the stage in what looks like a velvet cowboy outfit and busting out synchronized dance moves in front of Dru Hill, Stevie Wonder, and Kool Moe Dee, one can only assume it was included in his overarching mortification.


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