Will Smith Reveals 'Mentor' Denzel Washington Told Him 'This Is Your Year'
Will Smith is overjoyed after winning his first SAG Award at the 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.
On Sunday, the Pursuit of Happiness star won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for his role in King Richard.
Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to appreciate his close relationship with "guru" Denzel Washington.
"We've spent a lot of time together. So we're talking, he's always been a mentor to me and he grabbed me and he said, 'It's your year,'" Smith told People (TV show!). Host Kay Adams after winning his award.
"He just hugged me and he said, 'I'm so happy for you. Just love who you're becoming,'" he said.
Smith: "He knew me years ago, I'd go to Denzel for advice, so he's seen me over the years and he was telling me how proud I am of what I've become and who I've become He was saying that he felt as if the burden had been taken off his shoulders somehow."
Additionally, Smith spoke candidly of the upward trajectory of his career as an actor, calling it "a beautiful time in my life".
"The combination of working on King Richard and the work I had to do as an actor, I was doing while I was working on the book," he said backstage at the SAG Awards.
The 28th Annual SAG Awards is being broadcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, February 27.