Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 6, 2007 — -- Mr. Smith came to Washington today. Mr. Will Smith, that is.
"This is my first time speaking in D.C. That made me nervous," Smith admitted as he began his speech at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. "I didn't want to stand up here looking like a big dummy!"
Smith was in town to campaign against movie piracy. And while he is a very recognizable face, Smith explained that not everyone recognizes him correctly.
"I was coming in [to D.C.]. And I saw an old man and an old woman, and they came up to me and said, 'oh listen, everything you do, we are so proud of you. Just keep doing what you do.'"
Smith, twice nominated for an Oscar, continued the story. "And I said, 'thank you, thank you very much. God bless you.' And I walked away and the lady screamed, 'we're going to vote for you, we love you, Barack!'"
Although Smith has not joined the ranks of actors considering a run for political office, he says he did hope to have a political influence on the crowd at the "Business of Show Business" symposium today, which included lawmakers such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Smith told the audience that movie piracy is tantamount to stealing. And it's not just wealthy superstars like Smith who suffer, he said.
"When you consider issues about Hollywood, like piracy, it's not just me and Tom [Cruise] that you consider. You know there are wonderful Americans that are out there working very hard to create these wonderful products," Smith said.
In a report on this topic released at today's symposium, the Motion Picture Association of America concluded that the movie industry creates more than 1.3 million jobs in the United States with $30.24 billion in wages. On-location production alone pours an estimated $200,000 a day into the cities where filming is taking place, according to the report.
"Policymakers need to understand more clearly the economic power of the movies, the incredible risk and investment involved in making a movie and challenges we face as an industry," MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman said in a released statement.
Glickman, along with Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton, agreed that the illegal downloading and distribution of films is a major problem.
"Internet piracy is a hi-tech hijacking and is costing us billions of dollars a year," declared Lynton. "Piracy is not a victimless crime."
There are currently some laws that make movie piracy criminal. In 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that makes it illegal to distribute a video, music or other file on the Internet without providing a link to its source (including the e-mail address). The California state law carries a sentence of up to a year in jail and $2,500 in fines. Despite that law and recent crackdowns across the world, movie industry execs say more needs to be done - at the federal level.
Today, Smith joined in that call to help protect the industry he says has an impact like no other.
"I believe that Hollywood, at its best, inspires hope, and it can be transcendent and triumphant and inspire things in the human spirit that is unlike any other form of entertainment," Smith said.