Yahoo News Aladdin's Will Smith was fearful of playing Genie
Aladdin's Will Smith has admitted he "started off fearful" taking on the role of the Genie after Robin Williams.
During the film's press conference in Los Angeles, Smith spoke about being part of a Disney movie for the first time and how he managed to put his own spin on the Genie, while still being respectful to Williams' interpretation of the character.
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"Disney magic is real. And there's something that Walt Disney did in the design of these stories that shocks the inner child within you and forces it to come alive and smile and appreciate the moment," said Smith.
"So from me... Coming into this first starting with fear – it definitely started with fear – what Robin Williams did with this character was... he just didn't leave a lot of room to add to the Genie.
"So I started off fearful, but then when I got with the music it just started waking up that fun, child-like, silly part of me."
Smith described working on the film as "the most joyful experience of my career", before adding that he managed to get over his doubts when he found a way to put his own personal touch on his first song 'Friend Like Me'.
"I started playing with the hip-hop flavor and then the Genie was really born in my mind from the music," he said.
Aladdin is in cinemas now.
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