Will Smith is getting his Independence Day on once again, but will be partnering with Netflix this time around for his patriotic duties. The Bad Boys star will host Amend: The Fight for America, a Netflix documentary series that asks the intriguing question, “What does it mean to be an American?”
The documentary will debut on Feb. 17 and is produced by Smith and Larry Wilmore. According to Deadline, the six-hour docu-series explores the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution — which, in 1868, promised liberty and equal protection for all persons — as America’s most enduring hallmark of democracy.
Smith spoke on the project to Deadline, saying, “We are living in unprecedented days as a society, as a country, and as a human family. I believe that the cultivation of personal and historical understanding is the imperative spark igniting the flames of desperately needed compassion and healing. As Americans, we endeavor to form a more perfect union that truly establishes justice and equality for all. I believe a deeper understanding of the 14th Amendment is a critical jumping-off point.”
The film will also include interviews with Mahershala Ali, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Pedro Pascal, and Yara Shahidi. Speeches and writings by some of the 14th Amendment’s advocates and foes, such as Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Andrew Johnson, will also be spotlighted.
Will further stated to the Hollywood trade publication, “Our hope with this series is to illuminate the beauty that is the promise of America and to share a message of connection and shared humanity so that we will be able to better understand and celebrate our different experiences as Americans and promote progress toward the true equality promised to all persons under the 14th amendment.”
Check out the trailer on the next page for Amend: The Fight for America.
