Will Smith is about to hit our screens as Genie in the live action remake of Aladdin – but according to the actor, a very different kind of role might be in the pipeline too.
Speaking on BBC One’s Graham Norton Show, Smith said he’d “talked” to Obama about playing him in a biopic.
He’d already told James Corden that he’d discussed the role with the former president during a 2017 episode of Carpool Karaoke. “He told me he felt confident that I had the ears for the role,” he joked.
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Smith also used the interview to open up about playing the iconic Genie role.
"It was actually terrifying for me getting the first call," he said.
"It was a deep honour being asked, but Robin Williams didn't leave much room for improvement - he revolutionised what you can do in animation.”
“I watched the movie a couple of times and it was only when I started playing with the music and rapping that it gave me an 'in' to maintaining the nostalgia and paying homage to Robin Williams' genie while adding a new flavour."
Aladdin is released next week.
