Will Smith Endlessly Prayed To Survive Icy Near-Death Experience On Disney’s Daring Adventure Show

Will Smith recounts how he almost died while filming Pole to Pole, his new documentary adventure show. Premiering on January 13 on Disney+ globally and Hulu in the U.S., the National Geographic series follows Smith as he spends 100 days traveling to various harsh regions across the globe, taking on a variety of challenges.

While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Smith reveals that filming Pole to Pole‘s debut episode in the South Pole almost took a deadly turn. The actor was scuba diving beneath a layer of thick ice when he nearly became trapped without a mask.

“We went scuba diving at the North Pole, right? So we did a dive under the ice,” Smith recounts. “So you go under the ice, and the ice can be up to 10 feet thick. So we’re under, we went out about 40 yards away… It’s like an upside-down ice mountain range, right?“

“We went under, and I start hearing, ‘Abort dive! Abort dive! Abort!‘” Smith says. “And I’m like, ‘Oh no,’ right? So I went to ascend and hit ice. So I’m under the ice. I was like, ‘Oh no, Will, calm down. Calm down.’ You have a tether on, and you have to pull yourself back to the hole, right?“

Smith continues: “I grabbed and accidentally pulled my mask off. The oxygen [mask] . And I put my mask back on my face and I was like, ‘Oh no. Will, calm down.’ I was like, ‘If I get out of here, I’m only gonna do Black stuff from here on out. I promise Lord! African American behavior from here on out!”

Smith reveals that he then felt himself getting pulled back in by the tether, and he knew he was safe. “When I realized I was good, I just relaxed and I looked around and when I tell you, the sun is coming through the ice and it went from terror to the most spiritual, beautiful thing. And I was just like, ‘Whoever’s up there, don’t let go of my tether!‘”

In addition to sending Smith to the North Pole, Pole to Pole features the Men in Black star traveling to the Amazon rainforest, where he encounters an anaconda, as well as to the Himalayas, the Pacific Islands, and the Kalahari Desert. All episodes feature some semblance of danger, adventure, or discovery as Smith collaborates with scientists and experts to uncover new information about the natural world.

The response to Pole to Pole so far has been very positive, with the show sporting a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. This score is generated from only 9 reviews, though, meaning it could fluctuate as more reviews are added. The Popcornmeter score is more lukewarm at 68%, suggesting less widespread acceptance among general audiences.

Despite this, Pole to Pole instantly became a streaming success on Disney+ and Hulu, making the streamer’s top 10 chart in a variety of countries, including Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, and Switzerland. Smith’s new show features seven episodes in total, with no word yet on a possible season 2.

Outside of putting his life on the line while exploring the farthest reaches of Earth, Smith is reportedly attached to in-development projects like I Am Legend 2 and a remake of Planes, Train and Automobiles with Kevin Hart. Smith has also previously teased that a sequel to Hancock (2008) is in the works.

All episodes of Pole to Pole are now available on Hulu and Disney+.