I don’t know what took Paul Rodriguez so long to get this off his chest but the co-star in the 2001 Ali biopic was doing an interview in a San Diego radio station and slammed Will Smith for his behavior during the production.
“I’d never work with him again,” Rodriguez said, as quoted by the Daily Mail. “He was an asshole.” When pressed about the nature of Smith‘s alleged behavior, Rodriguez says it could have been caused by the “steroids he was using” to get up to 215 pounds. “There was no cause to insult me or berate me,” Rodriguez, who portrayed Dr. Ferdie Pacheco in the Oscar-nominated film, continued. “I’m no angel, but I didn’t have it coming this time.” Rodriguez also added that he wasn’t certain of any steroid usage, but was perplexed at how the actor went from “skinny” to “massive.”
I don’t think Will Smith will lose sleep over this story 15 years later but if you were intrigued by his transformation in the movie, Paul Rodriguez may have gave you an explanation even though he is still not giving him a pass for his behavior.