Will Smith called Denzel Washington for advice when he was struggling with the "funky forties".
The Gemini Man actor opened up about his connection with the Hollywood icon in an interview with GQ, in which he promoted his upcoming memoir, Will.
Crediting Denzel as an advisor on his personal life, Will described his friend as a "real sage".
"Throughout the years, I would always call Denzel. He's a real sage. I was probably 48 or something like that and I called Denzel. He said, 'Listen. You've got to think of it as the funky 40. Everybody's 40s are funky.' He said, 'But just wait till you hit the f**k-it 50s,'" he recalled to the publication. "He said, 'Just bear with your 40s.' I stopped and I was like, 'The funky 40s and the f**k-it 50s.' And that's exactly what happened. It just became the f**k-it 50s, and I gave myself the freedom to do whatever I wanted to do."
Inspired by his mentorship from Denzel, Will tries to offer support to his co-stars too, and has even been part of Tom Cruise's support system.
"That was the thing even with Tom (Cruise). Tom and I became friends in the middle of his public difficulties. That's when I want to be there. If everything is great, call somebody else. Call me when you need help. I love it. I love being the 2 a.m. emergency phone call," the 53-year-old insisted.
