Bad Boys for Life and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Will Smith has spoken about the racist interactions he had with police while growing up in Philadelphia.
Speaking on the latest episode of the On One with Angela Rye podcast, Smith said that police officers in Philadelphia had used racial slurs towards him "on more than 10 occasions".
"I got stopped frequently. So I understand what it's like to be in those circumstances with the police.
"The police, when I was growing up, moved with impunity in Philly. I understand what it's like to be in those circumstances with the police, to be occupied. It's an occupying force.
Smith explained that he attended a Catholic school in the suburbs, which showed him "what the disparities are" in the different relationships people have with the police.
"White kids were happy when the cops showed up, and my heart always started pounding. People who don't grow up in that, you just can't comprehend what it feels like to live in unoccupied territory."
The 51-year-old actor also shared his feelings on the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Something as simple as 'Black Lives matter' – what's the point of contention? Right? The point of contention is that's not what the person is hearing. That's where communication rules come in very handy. Here's what the answer is when someone says, 'Black lives matter': Yes, I agree."
Speaking about the protests sparked recently by the death of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks and Breonna Taylor, Smith said: "We are in a circumstance that we've never been in before. The entire globe has stood up and said to the African American people, 'We see you and we hear you. How can we help?' We've never been there before."
