Will Smith talks about his role as the 'first-ever 100 percent digital human' in Gemini Man

Will Smith's global fanbase will be getting two Smiths for the price of one with his brand-new blockbuster, Gemini Man.

The 51-year-old actor, producer and Fresh Prince is a Hollywood action flick favourite. He soared the skies as hotheaded superhero Hancock and was propelled 30 years into the future in iRobot, but Smith's latest project is taking the star to new heights. 

Not content with the lead role alone, Smith has taken on both the protagonist and the villain. Henry Brogan, an ageing assassin, finds himself running from a cloned younger version of himself - a completely digital human. 

Smith had a chat to The Project about the CGI magic of Gemini Man.

"It's the first-ever 100 percent digital human," he said.

"It's a recreation of me, it's not my actual skin. It's the heart of my performance, but the skin, the eyes, the hair, the movement - everything is digital."

 

Smith said the decision to go 100 percent digital was "a serious leap of faith".

"[Director] Ang [Lee] was [initially] talking about how we were going to achieve the clone... whether we use one of my kids or a lookalike."

Yet after the deepfakes' political advertisements and artificial intelligence anxiety, Smith says digital cloning technology isn't something to fear. 

"It's much more about how we use it than it is an energy or a technology being bad. I think it's impossible for a specific technology to be inherently evil."

And for everyone who doesn't have a CGI clone, there is still a message to take away.

"A lot of us get to that point where you hit the middle of your life, and it's like, 'Oh my God, is this what I've chosen to, is this what I've chosen to be'," Smith explained.

"Some of us are lucky or courageous enough to make the adjustments we need to make, to not be consumed by our karma."

Gemini Man is in cinemas now.

Newshub.