Will Smith Celebrates His 50th Birthday By Shooting Himself From A Helicopter In The Grand Canyon And Broadcasting It Live

In the world of Hollywood , few stars are combining their facet of actor with such a notable presence on YouTube as Will Smith , who has celebrated his 50 years on the platform in style. Literally.

Smith was 50 years old this Tuesday and gathered his family and many of his friends in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado for one of his greatest daring: jumping into space from a helicopter. The actor had promised to do so after the creators of the YouTube channel Yes Theory challenged him. In a video published last February, youtubers spoke of Smith as an inspiring figure who represented his values ​​better than anyone else: “choose love over fear”.

“I’ve had a whole life where I’ve felt crushed, used and controlled by fear,” says Smith in the Yes Theory video. “There is nothing worse than walking through the world with fear.”

It was the first time that the actor tried a heli-jump -like bungee jumping , but without the bridge- of similar characteristics and in fact took months preparing for the challenge. For the event, he organized a big event that has been broadcast live from YouTube and followed by thousands of people, including his entire family: his wife, Jada Pinkett , and their three children, Trey, Jaden and Willow .

The heli-jump is one of the most dangerous versions of the bungee jump because there is no solid base from which to make the jump, but the elastic rope depends on a helicopter running. Smith has had a team full of specialists, with doctors and experts who have ascertained the safety of the team, the viability of the jump according to the weather conditions and the physical and mental health of the actor before jumping into the void. “You are mentally, physically and spiritually prepared for this moment, so enjoy it,” his doctor said shortly before the jump.

In the prolegomena of the jump, Alfonso Ribeiro , the actor who played Carlton Banks in The Prince of Bel Air , served as master of ceremonies. Both read questions from the fans and saw a funny video in which some of the actor’s best friends congratulated him on his 50th birthday, including a Tom Cruise that Smith proposed weeks ago to pilot the helicopter he was about to shoot from. Cruise apologized for not being able to be.

Smith ended up jumping on Tuesday from 170 meters high thanks to a rope over 60 meters long with the Grand Canyon as an impressive setting for the event. Everyone present vibrated from the ground at the moment when Will left the safety of the helicopter to let himself fall. And on Twitter , thousands of viewers turned #WillSmithTheJump into one of the trending topics of the day.

“There’s an idea in my head where fear is a cage and it catches you,” Will said after the jump. “My father died a little over a year ago and there is something about facing death that makes you live your life more freely. Life is hard, you may hurt yourself. break your heart, but you still have to compromise, do not hesitate.”

The Congratulation of His Wife:

Jada Pinkett Smith also took the opportunity to congratulate her husband through social networks, publishing a video with a Will Smith montage flying over the Grand Canyon: “This is what I like most about your 50th birthday, you are flying high in your freedom and you have a more authentic happiness than I’ve ever seen you have , you deserve it all, keep flying and it’s still you, Happy Birthday, Willard, you make the 50 look good! “