Will Smith is candidly talking about his dog partner Abbey, the "brilliant actress" he collaborated with on "I Am Legend." 

The "Bad Boys" actor acknowledged on "Hot Ones" this Thursday that he attempted to adopt his German Shepherd co-star after the 2007 film was shot. Smith played Dr. Robert Neville, the lone survivor in the post-apocalyptic Manhattan after a plague turns everyone else into mutants.

Recounting a humorous incident, Smith shared, 'It was as if Abbey understood English. She used to fetch my cell phone, it was the oddest thing!'


The actor explained that Abbey "was the breadwinner of her family," so he couldn't adopt her into the Smith household.

Her handler "trained Abbey to go limp and I laid her (down)," Smith described of the scene. "How do you train a dog to go limp?" he asked rhetorically, mimicking the action.

"It was like working with a brilliant actress," Smith said.


The "King Richard" actor shared a sweet montage of movie clips and behind-the-scenes footage with Abbey for National Pet Day in April. "The goodness girl," he captioned the post.

Deadline confirmed in 2022 that Smith and Michael B. Jordan would co-star and co-produce "I Am Legend 2." Akiva Goldsman, co-writer of the first movie, is also anticipated to return.