Page 54 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Will Smith
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But not all movie ideas get made, and neither Biofeed nor
Scout was ever filmed. Smith was offered a role in another
movie, however, which turned out to be a smash hit. It was
a comedy titled Made in America, and featured two big stars:
Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson.
The plot is a clever one. Whoopi Goldberg plays a single
mother whose daughter, played by Nia Long, is a high school
senior. The daughter decides to go on a quest to find her
natural father. Early in the movie, the girl learns that he is a
white man, played by Danson. He is certainly not what she
expected. To make matters worse, Danson’s character, a
used-car salesman, is a crude and obnoxious man who stars
in embarrassing, goofy commercials on television. The
movie combines slapstick humor and a serious look at race
relations. Made in America was released in 1993.
In Made in America, Smith plays a supporting role as the
daughter’s boyfriend. Critics liked his performance, and this
film exposed him to a larger audience than Where the Day
Takes You had. In addition, Smith learned a lot from
observing the acting veterans Goldberg and Danson.
Along with his growing success in movies and television,
Smith was still making music. Later in 1993, he and Jeff
Townes released their fifth album, Code Red, which contained
a harder-edged rap than they had created in the past. One
cut, “Boom! Shake the Room,” reached number thirteen on
the Billboard music charts.6 Overall, however, Code Red had
mediocre sales. Some critics believed that Smithwas distracted
by his movie and television roles and did not put as much