This movie is the one Will Smith considers the best of his career so far

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Sony Pictures

Will Smith is one of Hollywood’s greatest movie stars. As an Oscar winner and box office titan, Smith boasts a résumé that few can match. Over his 30-year career, what is Smith’s best movie? In a recent appearance on Hot Ones, Smith named the movie he considers his finest accomplishment.

“I think the individual best movie, all around, that I’ve ever made is The Pursuit of Happyness,” Smith said.

Based on a true story, The Pursuit of Happyness stars Smith as Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman who wins a six-month unpaid internship at a brokerage firm. At the end of six months, one of the interns will be hired as a stockbroker. Despite his financial hardships, Gardner risks it all to win the job.

A man on a bus seat laughs with his son sitting next to him.
Sony Pictures Releasing

With his young son (Jaden Smith) by his side, Gardner scratches and claws to make a better living, sleeping in homeless shelters and train station bathrooms along the way. The inspiring performance from Smith landed him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

What comes after The Pursuit of Happyness for Smith?

“Right behind that is the first Men in Black. The direction, cinematography, and music,” Smith said. “I think among the most fun I’ve ever had making a movie is like Bad Boys and Aladdin, like just the most fun.”

At the end of the interview, Smith finished with his personal Mount Rushmore, the four performances that best define his career as an actor.

“If I had to put four of them in a time capsule, it would be The Pursuit of Happyness, the first Men in Black, I Am Legend, and probably King Richard,” Smith added.

Smith can now be seen in the fourth Bad Boys movie, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which opens in theaters today, June 7.