‘Gemini Man’ Taught Will Smith Something Surprising About His Younger Self
Showbiz Cheat Sheet covered Gemini Man when it was in theaters Oct. 11, 2019 with a movie review and stories on Will Smith, Ang Lee, Clive Owen and the visual effects artists. Now the film is available to watch at home, and if you have a 4K TV and player you can even see the high frame rate version. 4K can really capture the effect where it looks so clear, it feels more like watching real people than a screen. It’s so clear that it still looks like 3D, even though you’re not wearing 3D glasses.
Bonus features reveal even more about Will Smith and Gemini Man than the earlier interviews did. Smith plays 51-year-old assassin Henry Brogan and his 23-year-old clone Junior. Find out what conclusions Smith came to about his younger self and what else the film originally had in store for Junior. Gemini Man is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD and digital formats.
Junior originally appeared earlier in ‘Gemini Man’
In Gemini Man, Henry first sees Junior in Cartagena, Colombia when the young assassin comes to kill him. The film’s centerpiece motorcycle chase ensues. The Blu-ray now reveals Junior’s entrance originally appeared much sooner in the film.
The bonus features include an alternate opening for Gemini Man. Henry’s introduction is the same, setting up his sniper rifle for a speeding train. However, the alternate opening intercuts Henry with Junior setting up his own hit in parallel.
Director Ang Lee made the right choice to save Junior’s introduction for the more dramatic moment in Gemini Man when Henry sees his younger self. They still keep him obscured in the alternate opening, but we’d know it’s young Will Smith.
What Will Smith thought of his younger self
Gemini Man visual effects created image of Junior based on footage of Will Smith when he was a young actor. That included The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Bad Boys and Independence Day. Young Will Smith became the biggest movie star in the world. Now that he’s 51, Smith looks back on his early days with a new perspective.
“There was almost an unrecognizable quality to my 23, 24-year-old self,” Smith said. “There was a freedom and a recklessness.”
What Will Smith would tell the Fresh Prince today
In Gemini Man, Henry gets to talk to Junior and prepare him for his future. The premise of the movie made Will Smith ponder what lessons he could impart to his younger self. This is the conclusion he came to through playing both roles.
“I finally answered the question for myself in exploring both of these characters’ minds,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t tell him anything. The 25-year-old version of myself was so hard-headed so he wasn’t going to hear anything I had to say anyway. But the 25-year-old version of myself had a couple of really solid ideas that ultimately would never make him happy but they were on the right track, so I would leave him alone.”
