Will Smith's Mount Rushmore of Actors: Marlon Brando, Denzel Washington, Daniel Day-Lewis, Himself

Will Smith, who in just over a week will be rolling out his first new album in 20 years, considers himself “one of the most prolific actors of our time,” marking an artistic distinction that’s pretty hard to argue against. During a recent stream with Plaqueboymax, the King Richard Oscar winner also put himself in the company of Marlon Brando and other all-time greats when asked to name his picks for the proverbial Mount Rushmore of actors.

“I mean, that’s definitely how I’m feeling but I just don’t feel like I should say that publicly,” Smith, last seen in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, said when Max told him he can name himself as one of his picks. “Alright, Mount Rushmore. Actors. Damn. So I would start with Marlon Brando. I’m trying to look at the whole spectrum. … So three of them, and I’m not really saying this to be arrogant, I do think I’m like one of the most prolific actors of our time.”

From there, Smith named Denzel Washington as his third choice before digging into a breakout discussion on the difference between a movie star and an actor. An actor, per Smith, is capable of delivering a role while giving the audience “a transformative experience,” while a movie star “can put a movie on their back and carry it.” Along the way, Smith made his way to his fourth pick, Daniel Day-Lewis.

“You go to a Denzel movie because it’s Denzel,” Smith added. “You go to a Will Smith movie because it’s Will Smith.”

Max then had Will give his pick for Mount Rushmore actresses, with Taraji P. Henson emerging as his first choice. Cicely Tyson, Halle Berry, and Whoopi Goldberg all made the cut, with the latter receiving specific praise from Smith for her versatility and EGOT status.

“She really covered a spectacular range,” Smith said of Goldberg’s artistic journey, which counts everything from Ghost, which earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar back in 1990, to The View, which has landed her numerous Emmy nominations and one win.

Smith has no shortage of high-profile projects on the horizon, including a sequel to I Am Legend and a potential Netflix action title with original Bad Boys director Michael Bay. Based on a True Story, his new album, is out next Friday.