January 23, 2026
Will Smith: ‘I’m Only Going To Do Black Stuff’ After Near-Drowning While Filming Travel Series
Smith is known for his daring theatrics.
Will Smith said he narrowly escaped death while scuba diving under Arctic ice during filming for his Disney+ travel series Pole to Pole With Will Smith.
Smith recounted the moment in a recent television appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Bad Boys star said that minutes into a dive under a thick layer of ice near the North Pole, he heard warnings to abort the dive.
“We went under, and I started hearing, ‘Abort dive! Abort dive! Abort!” Smith said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh no.’”
As Smith ascended, he struck solid ice instead of the exit hole. As he attempted to grasp his literal lifeline, he instead removed his oxygen mask.
“You have a tether on, and you have to grab your tether and pull yourself back to the hole. I grabbed and accidentally pulled my mask off,” Smith said.
It was then that Smith began bargaining, vowing only to participate in safer explorations.
“I was like, ‘If I get out of here, I’m only going to do Black stuff from here on out. I promise, Lord! African American behavior from here on out!
Eventually, he was pulled up by his tether and even experienced “the most spiritual moment.” It remains to be seen if Smith will honor his vow of “only doing Black stuff.” Though it is highly unlikely he will follow through as the infamous actor is known for his daring theatrics.
The entertainer has been very vocal about facing his fears head-on to foster personal growth. As such, he’s attempted quite a few high-risk activities.
In 2021, Smith climbed the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in Dubai. In a widely shared video, he was shown scaling to the top of the structure while secured by safety equipment.
For the veteran actor’s 50th birthday, he engaged in another extreme activity, bungee jumping into the Grand Canyon.
Smith insists these stunts are intentional exercises in confronting fear rather than thrill-seeking. As an action-movie star, he has the physical capacity to continue his extreme sports hobby for years to come. Clearly, fear is a state of mind for Smith, and he has no intentions of letting it get in his way.
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