News | Entertainment
29 Jan 2026 16:36
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
     29 Jan: Harry Styles has revealed that the election of Pope Leo XIV interrupted his haircut in Rome
     29 Jan: Prince Harry has hit out at Donald Trump's comments about British soldiers in Afghanistan
     29 Jan: Katie Price has got engaged for the ninth time
     29 Jan: Rose Byrne plans to name her bearded dragon in honour of her Oscar nomination
     29 Jan: Kim Kardashian is planning to dye her hair blonde to copy Beyonce's latest hair style
     29 Jan: Stefon Diggs has "converted" Cardi B to loving NFL
     29 Jan: Kim Kardashian once "scammed" the paparazzi by pretending to visit Britney Spears in a ploy to get her picture taken
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Ireland's Auckland-born midfielder Bundee Aki will sit out half of Ireland's Six Nations rugby campaign over referee abuse More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    New Zealand export values have been surging More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Harry Styles has revealed that the election of Pope Leo XIV interrupted his haircut in Rome 16:31

    Tennis:
    Kiwi squash player Paul Coll is 2-1 up as he tries to book a spot in the Tournament of Champions final against world number one Mostafa Asal 16:17

    National:
    How ordinary neighbourhoods became battlegrounds in the politics of ‘broken Britain’ 16:07

    Soccer:
    Malaysian football executives resign over player naturalisation scandal 16:07

    Entertainment:
    Prince Harry has hit out at Donald Trump's comments about British soldiers in Afghanistan 16:01

    International:
    How to see more ABC News stories in Google Search 15:47

    International:
    How the Trump administration plans to control Venezuela's oil money 15:37

    Entertainment:
    Katie Price has got engaged for the ninth time 15:31

    Politics:
    The Greens aren't happy with New Zealand First's stance on the India-New Zealand Free Trade agreement 15:27

    Entertainment:
    Rose Byrne plans to name her bearded dragon in honour of her Oscar nomination 15:01


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd