Will Smith Confesses 'Emancipation' Co-Star Ben Foster Avoided Him for 6 Months—But It's Not Because of His Chris Rock Oscars Slap

Will Smith claimed that Ben Foster deliberately avoided engaging with him on the "Emancipation" set.

In his takeover of the most recent edition of "Red Table Talk" on Facebook Watch, which broadcasted Wednesday, Smith revealed how Foster, for six months, did not speak to him, make eye contact with him, say a word, or even acknowledge him.

"Emancipation" was done shooting way before the Oscars, so clearly, it has nothing to do with the Chris Rock Oscars slap incident.

According to Insider, Trey, Jaden, and Willow Smith joined their father, Will, to discuss his part as Peter in "Emancipation," which debuted on Apple TV+ on Friday.

The main character of Antoine Fuqua's film, based on the well-known 1863 photographs of "Whipped Peter," manages to free himself from slavery.

Ben plays Fassell, an enslaver who goes on the hunt for Smith's character after he escapes.

Will Smith Tells How Ben Foster Stayed in Character Throughout Shooting Emancipation

In a clip provided exclusively with PEOPLE, Will remembers how Ben maintained his persona by avoiding him for six months.

According to him, bad weather on the first day of filming prevented them from getting anything done, so Will began thanking everyone for showing up, but Ben ignored him.

The actor recalls, "In my mind, I was giving my best 'Will Smith.'"

Then he said Ben walked past him and did not say anything, and he was like, "Oh, he must not have seen me."

Then for six months, Smith said that he received no words, eye contact, or acknowledgment from Ben.

Will continues that what Ben did that first day made him think, "Yup. Got it: We're not playing. This is real; this is serious."

Will said that he understood they were not joking about those concepts, and he indeed credits Ben for shifting his depth and focus.

Ben ultimately stepped out of character on the last day of the shoot and greeted Will.

Ben was given the go-ahead to quit his methods when director Fuqua declared, "We got it," and the movie's production was finished.

Will recalled that he looked at Ben and said, "Nice to meet you, Ben."

Ben Foster Tells Why He Ignores Will Smith During Emancipation Shooting

The "Hell or High Water" actor remembered a specific energy from Will that made him choose to keep his distance from his co-star till the very end.

Ben said during the Red Table Talk episode, "The first day of set was staggering."

He continued and said he was walking past a chained man in a violent setting.

"I felt him. I didn't see him; I felt him," Ben said.

He added that it was Will on set, but not Will, as they knew him like he was different, and it is hard to explain, per E! News.

But as he passed Will and felt, he said he would give Will his space, stating that he could feel Will's presence, who was "digging deep."

Ben said he has a lot of respect for Will and how his talent was presented, even if he did not interact with the 54-year-old very much behind the scenes.

Ben Foster said, "This is a performance that speaks to the human spirit against all odds."

He said that he was blown away by what Will did in the film: "To fight for love. The fight of faith, the fight to endure and endure for love."

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Making Of EMANCIPATION (2022) - Best Of Behind The Scenes & On Set Talk With Will Smith | Apple TV+ - From STREAM WARS