Will Smith felt an “electrical shock” go down his arms after being hit on the set of his 2001 movie Ali.

The Men in Black star, who portrayed famed boxer Muhammad Ali in the film, was shooting a fight scene with Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston when he experienced “the hardest (he’s) ever been hit on a movie set”.

“I was leaning back and my trainer was trying to get me to get the angle of my spine forward. And in this second I just was like, ‘You know what? Commit.’ And I committed and leaned forward,” he explained on the YouTube show Hot Ones on Thursday.

“And almost as an instinctual reaction, Michael Bentt threw a right hand. And I saw it coming at the last second and I put my head down. And he caught me with a right hand right on top of my head. But it didn’t knock my head back, it compressed my neck down onto my spine. I felt an electrical shock go down the back of both arms to my elbows.”

After the “rough” incident, Will felt an “electrical taste in (his) mouth” and could only think about the whereabouts of his car keys.

The 55-year-old was nominated for his first Oscar for his performance in Michael Mann’s biographical sports drama.

During the interview, he heaped praise on the filmmaker, revealing his commitment to authenticity during production.

“When we were shooting Ali, Michael Mann wouldn’t allow music to be played on the set that was made after whatever date we were shooting,” he recalled. “That’s how wild he is about capturing the authenticity of a moment.”

Will is promoting Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which is in cinemas now.

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