--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I saw 'Independence Day,' I said, 'I…" description: "\"When I saw 'Independence Day,' I said, 'I want to be like Will Smith.' I want to do something like that. If he can do it, maybe one day I can come clos..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/cory-hardrict-17269_close_when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-wan_2236127.jpg" --- # When I saw 'Independence Day,' I said, 'I want to be like… ![“When I saw 'Independence Day,' I said, 'I want to be like Will Smith.' I want to do something like that. If he can do it, maybe one day I can come close to a set like that.” quote by Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/cory-hardrict-17269_close_when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-wan_2236127.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/cory-hardrict-17269_close_when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-wan_2236127.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/cory-hardrict-17269_close_when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-wan_2236127.jpg) > “When I saw 'Independence Day,' I said, 'I want to be like Will Smith.' I want to do something like that. If he can do it, maybe one day I can come close to a set like that.” [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Admiring a role model can inspire personal ambition, but success requires personal effort beyond imitation. **In simple terms:** Role models inspire ambition. Key Takeaway Use inspiration to drive personal effort. Themes ambition role model inspiration Mood hopeful determined Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - personal development - skill mastery Key Concepts self-efficacy goal setting career aspiration Questions to Reflect On - What steps will you take to emulate your role model? - How can you make the ambition uniquely yours? A Different Perspective Imitation alone won’t achieve success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Independence day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence-day/) ## Related quotes > [One day I want to be like Will Smith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarion/one-day-i-want-to-be-like-will-smith/) [Omarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarion/) > [“people like to see will smith reacting to aliens”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/people-like-to-see-will-smith-reacting-to-aliens/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [I'm just going to go through Anthony Smith, I want to get that W, beat him, and just look for the next challenge basically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gustafsson/i-m-just-going-to-go-through-anthony-smith-i-want-to-get-that-w-beat/) [Alexander Gustafsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gustafsson/) > [We don't want to plaster Mumbai with pictures of Will Smith. We want to make an exchange. We want to do films there as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lassiter/we-don-t-want-to-plaster-mumbai-with-pictures-of-will-smith-we-want/) [James Lassiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lassiter/) > [I dreamed of doing stuff like Will Smith and films on a big scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-dreamed-of-doing-stuff-like-will-smith-and-films-on-a-big-scale/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [Everybody I hang out with I get linked to. I'm going to have to hang out with someone crazy, like Will Smith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/everybody-i-hang-out-with-i-get-linked-to-i-m-going-to-have-to-hang/) [Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/) > [I respect people who can do both careers, like Will Smith and a couple of other people who have done it, but I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-respect-people-who-can-do-both-careers-like-will-smith-and-a-couple/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I like Will Smith because his acting is for real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-j/i-like-will-smith-because-his-acting-is-for-real/) [Ray J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-j/) > [The Will Smith that you see in movies is exactly the same as Will Smith in real life. Except for when he plays a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/the-will-smith-that-you-see-in-movies-is-exactly-the-same-as-will/) [Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/) > [On one show before a live audience, I had to look out the door and call for Will Smith to come in. The audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-avery/on-one-show-before-a-live-audience-i-had-to-look-out-the-door-and/) [James Avery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-avery/) > [I do a lot of collaborations and productions, whether it's Switch or Steve Aoki or No ID or Will Smith or No Doubt -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/i-do-a-lot-of-collaborations-and-productions-whether-it-s-switch-or/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [I can't believe I was able to play Will Smith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-redd/i-can-t-believe-i-was-able-to-play-will-smith/) [Chris Redd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-redd/) > [Every year, Hollywood is looking for that new, white leading man and new white starlet that audiences fall in love with. But they're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/every-year-hollywood-is-looking-for-that-new-white-leading-man-and/) [Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/) > [Initially I thought: 'I would never get cast opposite Will Smith! No one would ever buy it with the age difference, our personalities.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/initially-i-thought-i-would-never-get-cast-opposite-will-smith-no-one/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [It's hard to be a celebrity nowadays. It's not about your track record anymore. If you have a great movie, you're good. If not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-foxx/it-s-hard-to-be-a-celebrity-nowadays-it-s-not-about-your-track-record/) [Jamie Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-foxx/) ## More by Cory Hardrict > [I'm just trying to touch the world and touch the people and just get good material. And show them that we can get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-m-just-trying-to-touch-the-world-and-touch-the-people-and-just-get/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [I have an amazing wife, Tia, and an amazing son, Cree, and I'm a family man first and they keep me grounded. They're my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-have-an-amazing-wife-tia-and-an-amazing-son-cree-and-i-m-a-family/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [I really love to act. I really love to touch the people with my work. It's about giving people what they want to see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-really-love-to-act-i-really-love-to-touch-the-people-with-my-work/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [I love helping people; just being of service makes me happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-love-helping-people-just-being-of-service-makes-me-happy/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [When I look in the mirror, I see a God-fearing man who would risk it all for family and his beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/when-i-look-in-the-mirror-i-see-a-god-fearing-man-who-would-risk-it/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [I would love to play the President of the United States. I have been told we resemble each other, and it would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-would-love-to-play-the-president-of-the-united-states-i-have-been/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [ I did a film that was similar to that world, which was Brotherly Love, and the audience fell in love with \[my character\] June.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-did-a-film-that-was-similar-to-that-world-which-was-brotherly-love/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [To be honest, I still feel like I haven't scratched the surface of where I want to be. If someone asked me for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/to-be-honest-i-still-feel-like-i-haven-t-scratched-the-surface-of/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [My son is my routine and priority, period!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/my-son-is-my-routine-and-priority-period/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [There's strength in numbers. Once we show the world that we're together, they can't stop us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/there-s-strength-in-numbers-once-we-show-the-world-that-we-re/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [Not only was Tupac an iconic figure in Hip-Hop, he was an iconic artist across the whole world. He transcends to all races. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/not-only-was-tupac-an-iconic-figure-in-hip-hop-he-was-an-iconic/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [I keep God first. He me to go out and act and be humble and keep it simple. God gave me this gift to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-keep-god-first-he-me-to-go-out-and-act-and-be-humble-and-keep-it/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [ \[My mother\] worked at thrift stores and she didn't have a high school education. She sacrificed everything she had for me and my brothers.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/my-mother-worked-at-thrift-stores-and-she-didn-t-have-a-high-school/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [It's never too late to make the right decision in your life. I want fathers to go grab their sons, tell them you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/it-s-never-too-late-to-make-the-right-decision-in-your-life-i-want/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > ['Lovelace' was really great. I got to work with the wonderful Amanda Seyfried, Hank Azaria and Peter Sarsgaard, so it can't get no better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/lovelace-was-really-great-i-got-to-work-with-the-wonderful-amanda/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) [Explore all 37 Cory Hardrict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) ## More Close quotes > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Everything I write is highly personal, but put in such a way that it's not dropping everything in someone's lap. Although sometimes I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/everything-i-write-is-highly-personal-but-put-in-such-a-way-that-it-s/) [Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/) > [I'm quite close with my family, especially my twin sister, and it's always hard to leave her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-scanlen/i-m-quite-close-with-my-family-especially-my-twin-sister-and-it-s/) [Eliza Scanlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-scanlen/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [We began intercepting Japanese radio transmissions, which indicated the two forces were very close to each other. We found out later that we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-adams/we-began-intercepting-japanese-radio-transmissions-which-indicated/) [Jack Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-adams/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) > [One of the positive things about Pep is that he is so close with his staff - they support him in every situation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernandinho/one-of-the-positive-things-about-pep-is-that-he-is-so-close-with-his/) [Fernandinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernandinho/) > [The first thing I hear when I wake up is the sea, which is so close to our house that its reflections from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/the-first-thing-i-hear-when-i-wake-up-is-the-sea-which-is-so-close-to/) [Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/) > [I've been very close to Konnan for many years now. I thank him for much of my success in this industry. He opened the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rey-mysterio/i-ve-been-very-close-to-konnan-for-many-years-now-i-thank-him-for/) [Rey Mysterio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rey-mysterio/) > [My grandmother made sure that I went to church every Sunday. And she'd come over and pick us boys up, and we would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/my-grandmother-made-sure-that-i-went-to-church-every-sunday-and-she-d/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [My whole family is really close. I'm lucky for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-liboiron/my-whole-family-is-really-close-i-m-lucky-for-that/) [Landon Liboiron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-liboiron/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [I think we were raised in a nice Texas Jewish family where education was the most important thing, and close behind that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/i-think-we-were-raised-in-a-nice-texas-jewish-family-where-education/) [Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/) > [We went to a very small high school. It was, like, in a wooded house; it was a weird school. I hung out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-peretti/we-went-to-a-very-small-high-school-it-was-like-in-a-wooded-house-it/) [Chelsea Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-peretti/) Browse all 2,016 Close quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I saw 'Independence Day,' I said, 'I want to be like Will Smith.' I want to do something like that. If he can do it, maybe one day I can come close to a set like that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cory Hardrict" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-want-to-be-like-will-smith-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Close" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-want-to-be-like-will-smith-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/cory-hardrict-17269_close_when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-wan_2236127.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/cory-hardrict-17269_close_when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-wan_2236127.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/cory-hardrict-17269_close_when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-wan_2236127.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I saw 'Independence Day,' I said, 'I want to be like Will Smith.' I want to do something like that. If…” — Cory Hardrict", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cory Hardrict", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I saw 'Independence Day,' I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-want-to-be-like-will-smith-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/when-i-saw-independence-day-i-said-i-want-to-be-like-will-smith-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```