Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are always in the news for their ever-changing and surprising relationship dynamics. But in the early 2010s, it was Smith and Margot Robbie who found their names in the headlines for their interesting chemistry during the filming of Focus.
A still from Will Smith’s Focus (2015).
In November of 2013, a Star magazine cover story (via Page Six) reported that the two hopped into a photo booth together for some racy shots. After their photo session, the Bad Boys star allegedly gave her a piggyback ride and headed off to his trailer. Interestingly, the movie that brought the two together and started their affair rumors wasn’t even written imagining them in lead roles.

Read more: “He’s losing a friend in Tom”: Concerning Reports on Will Smith and Tom Cruise’s Friendship Come Out After Rumors on Jada Smith’s Dating Interest

How Will Smith Landed the Role That Ben Affleck Was Lined up to Play

In the romantic drama, Will Smith played the role of Nicky, an accomplished con artist, who gets romantically involved with Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie). The chemistry between a veteran con man and an accomplished femme fatale worked wonders on the big screen, with Focus grossing $158.8 million globally at the box office against its budget of around $50 million.

Will Smith and Margot Robbie.
Fans might not believe it after seeing how incredible the two were together in the movie, but neither Smith nor Robbie was the first choice to play their respective roles in the Glenn Ficarra and John Requa-directed movie.

Ben Affleck was lined up to play the cool thief opposite Kristen Stewart, who would’ve threatened to spoil his plans in the movie. However, the Gone Girl star had to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts. Explaining his decision at the NBR awards, he said (via MTV):

“Basically I’m doing this movie called “Live By Night” and I’m trying to meet this schedule… so that I can have it released at the right time. And basically I haven’t gotten enough writing done; it became clear that if I took that job — it was in Buenos Aires for three months — I’d have to miss the deadline. I had to choose between getting the movie out when I wanted to or doing that movie. Reluctantly I chose the latter but I love those guys, I love Kristen. I was really excited to work with her. I think the movie is going to be fabulous. I’m sure they’ll find a great guy for it.”
Following Affleck’s exit, Kristen Stewart also quietly left the movie. Interestingly, as per The Hollywood Reporter they weren’t the first-choice pair either. Requa and Ficarra wrote the script with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in mind but the actors were unavailable.

 

What Margot Robbie Said About Kissing Will Smith in Focus

Finally, Robbie and Smith were roped in for the project and delivered brilliant performances, which also involved the pair kissing on the set of Focus for a sequence.
Will Smith and Margot Robbie.
Having already attracted plenty of attention with their photo booth incident, Robbie raised more eyebrows by revealing how it felt like kissing her co-star.
“He’s got this really lovely breath spray, it tastes like Christmas. It’s like he’s just eaten a candy cane,” she told E!.
Meanwhile, Smith revealed that when his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, saw that he was starring alongside the young and hot actress, she asked him to get in shape.