On May 4, 2021, actor Will Smith took to his Instagram page to share a challenge issued to himself — to lose 20 pounds in 20 weeks. His journey to a renewed leaner physique would be part of a YouTube original docuseries, “The Best Shape of My Life.” That docuseries premieres on Nov. 8, 2021, but its contents will differ from what Smith originally intended. At least, that’s what the “The Best Shape of My Life” trailer suggests.
Smith shared the trailer on his Instagram page on Oct. 29, 2021. It features Smith discovering that although he intended to embark on a fitness journey, he ultimately encountered one of mental health and self-discovery. The trailer eludes to Smith sharing aspects of himself that he has kept hidden from public view to uphold a faux persona he presented to the world. Watch the full trailer below:
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The trailer opens on a montage of Smith performing fitness-related activities — biking, golfing, yoga, bench pressing, performing biceps curls, and rear delt flyes— intercut with a confessional. He reiterates his initial intention of dropping 20 pounds in five months.
When I started this show, I thought I was getting into the best shape of my life physically. But mentally I was somewhere else.
The trailer reveals Smith was writing a book, presumably a memoir, simultaneously during filming. A glimpse of the third chapter titled “Performance” pans across the screen. The level of self-reflection Smith endeavored while filming was apparently profound. At the 50-second mark, Smith admits that at one point in his life, he contemplated suicide.
The goal of “The Best Shape of My Life” shifts from Smith’s physique overhaul to his long-awaited confession:
What you’ve come to understand as Will Smith…is largely a construction — a carefully crafted…character to protect myself, to hide from the world; to hide the coward.
“The Best Shape of My Life” premieres on Nov. 8, 2021, on YouTube. We’ll see what revelations Smith had about himself, how he reconciles those things with himself and his family, and if it hindered or assisted his initial goal of getting in the best physical shape of his life.
Featured image: @willsmith on Instagram
