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"Actors can help reduce racism in Hollywood" - star says

Will Smith is once again speaking out about the issue of racism affecting Hollywood and the actor says something can actually be done to help 'gradually' stop it.

Will Smith

Will Smith is once again speaking out about the issue of racism affecting Hollywood and the actor says something can actually be done to help 'gradually' stop it.

As the 52-year-old continue to promote his Oscar buzzed film, 'Concussion', where he plays the role of Dr. Bennet Omalu, Smith admits racism does exist and he's been forced to turn down movie roles when someone in Hollywood is actually racist but there's a crucial difference between 'racism' and 'prejudice'

"Everybody is prejudiced," he said to The Hollywood Reporter. "Everybody has their life experiences that make them prefer one thing over another -- it makes them prefer blond hair over a brunette; if you see somebody with dark skin walking down the street, you have a different reaction than you have [with] someone who is 5-foot-1 and white."

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He said the word racism implies something worse: the feeling that "your race generally is superior. "And I have to say, I live with constant prejudice, but racism is actually rare -- someone who thinks their race is superior," Smith continued.

A moment later, the interviewer asked if actors could do anything to fight this kind of racism. The other African-American actor on the panel, Samuel L. Jackson, answered with a simple "No." But Smith was more optimistic about their chances.

"As actors, we have the ultimate power," he said. "Historically, story combined with imagery moves humanity forward. What we do -- not that it’s a responsibility, but it is the ultimate forum for changing people’s hearts and minds."

These latest statements are consistent with several others Smith has made in the past. Back in February, he said that fixing America's race problem will require change that will be "so brutal and so painful." As recently as 2010, he said that Hollywood executives care for more about race than they do about money. And going back even further, Will called 1999, " a great time to be black in Hollywood."

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