News | Entertainment
28 Jan 2026 10:52
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Will Smith narrowly dodged death while scuba diving in the Arctic as part of his Disney+ travel series

    Minutes into the 57-year-old actor's underwater adventure under thick ice, an emergency abort forced him to ascend into solid ice, and he accidentally pulled off his mask.


    Will recalled the terrifying incident that happened whilst filming Pole to Pole on Tuesday's (20.01.26's) episode of NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

    He told the 51-year-old host: "We went scuba diving at the North Pole. So we did a dive under the ice. 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.

    "We went under, and I start hearing, 'Abort dive! Abort dive! Abort!' And I'm like, 'Oh no.'

    "So I went to ascend and hit ice. I was like, 'Oh no, Will, calm down. Calm down.' You have a tether on, and you have to grab your tether and pull yourself back to the hole. I grabbed and accidentally pulled my mask off."

    Amid oxygen loss, Will immediately put the mask back on his face, and he tried his best to calm himself down.

    He continued: "I was like, 'Oh no. Will, calm down.'"

    The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum then joked: "And 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 behaviour from here on out!"

    Amid calming his nerves, Will felt someone grab "my tether up top and started pulling" him to safety.

    He added: "And when I realised 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!'"

    After reliving the "rough" and deadly experience, Will then told Jimmy about the time he hunted for anaconda while in the Amazon for his Disney+ travel series.

    The Men in Black star recalled: "We were with the natives, and they didn't even have no clothes on, their whole name and address was hanging out.

    "And so we're going down the river, and they see the anaconda and jump out of the boat into the water and swim for the anaconda."

    Will noted that the task was part of a "conservation" initiative.

    He said: "They had a sense that there was some kind of illegal dumping going on, and the scales of the anaconda they hold whatever's in the water. So they would take a scale from the anaconda and test it to be able to use it in court.

    "It was really wild. I don't know why they needed me!"

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     28 Jan: Gwyneth Paltrow says "shouting at the bushes" helps with anxiety
     28 Jan: Kyle Gass has "felt terrible ever since" his controversial joke about Donald Trump's attempted assassination
     28 Jan: Prince William will make his first official visit to Saudi Arabia next month
     28 Jan: Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. use "separate bathrooms"
     28 Jan: James Cameron permanently moved his family to New Zealand because it handled the COVID-19 pandemic better than the USA
     28 Jan: Paris Hilton's three-year-old son Phoenix is "so protective" of his two-year-old sister London
     28 Jan: Meghan Trainor's sons are thrilled to have a sister
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard has signed a deal with New Zealand Rugby until the end of 2029 More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    A new name for Wellington's stadium More...



     Today's News

    Law and Order:
    Police are asking for help in finding Christchurch man Roy Markland - with grave concerns for his welfare, after he was last seen yesterday leaving his Burnside address 10:47

    Entertainment:
    Gwyneth Paltrow says "shouting at the bushes" helps with anxiety 10:31

    Politics:
    Tensions in Minnesota could send the US into another government shutdown — here's why 10:27

    Politics:
    Repeated government lying, warned Hannah Arendt, makes it impossible for citizens to think and to judge 10:27

    Rugby:
    All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard has signed a deal with New Zealand Rugby until the end of 2029 10:27

    National:
    The cold war maps that can help us rethink today’s Arctic conflict 10:17

    National:
    Greenland’s Inuit have spent decades fighting for self-determination 10:07

    International:
    ICE deported a man charged over the 'largest jewellery heist in US history' before he could face trial 10:07

    Wellington:
    A search effort is underway following a helicopter crash north of Wellington 10:07

    Entertainment:
    Kyle Gass has "felt terrible ever since" his controversial joke about Donald Trump's attempted assassination 10:01


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd