Will Smith has revealed he agreed to take the role of Deadshot in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie because he had “never played a character that legitimately didn’t give a f***." Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the two-time Oscar nominee, said he was also encouraged to take the part so he could work with director David Ayer.

Will Smith as Deadshot in Suicide SquadWill Smith plays Deadshot in Suicide Squad.

“I had never played a character that legitimately didn’t give a f***,” Smith said. “It’s very freeing not having to carry the moral spine of the movie.” But the actor did need some help getting inside the mind of the villain.

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“I couldn’t find a model to understand what would make someone comfortable killing another person for money,” he continued. “David (Ayer) walked me through that. He found a book for me (The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas), and I worked through getting into the mind of serial killers. Once I accepted the [notion the author puts forth] that it feels good, that really exploded the idea in my mind of Deadshot.” 

But Smith also realised there was more to the character than just being a ruthless assassin. “His Achilles heel is his daughter,” he continued. “He loves this little girl and that creates this bizarre conflicting mindset where he enjoys killing people but that’s something this little girl doesn’t want from him. She wants a daddy.”

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Speaking about Smith’s performance in the film Ayer said: “I’m so proud of what he did in this. I think that’s going to be one of the surprises [of the movie.] It feels like he found something new. He found a different gear in this.”

Watch the trailer for Suicide Squad below: