Gemini Man: Return of the Return of Will Smith in Budapest

via Youtube

The last time Will Smith was in Budapest, he caused quite a sensation by climbing up the Chain Bridge, and delivering a few lines from a hit song. While these antics may have been quietly looked down on by the authorities, nobody minded the attention it brought to the city, and indeed Smith was welcomed with open arms back in Budapest last summer to shoot scenes from his latest big budget thriller, Gemini Man. 

The Ang Lee directed feature was shot in locations in the US as well as a few well chosen spots in Budapest, most saliently Szechenyi Bath House. Perhaps it took the inspiration Budapest had to offer to get Gemini Man made, as various scripts for the film had been kicking around Hollywood for decades, with actors such as Clint Eastwood and Brad Pitt attached. At a near 140,000,000 dollar budget, they could afford arguably the biggest male action star in the world.

Endearingly, during shooting, American television talk show Good Morning America ‘caught up’ with Smith in Budapest, at the bath house for a short interview. Both Smith And Lee seem appropriately  impressed with Szechenyi, the largest bath house in Europe, situated in the center of Budapest’s City Park. On the bath’s website, they claim to be the most visited tourist site in the city, which, if true, is no doubt due to the medicinal qualities of their 18 thermal baths and pools, heated to different degrees.

via the Szechenyi site

Smith and Lee are even brave enough to ‘go deep,’ and taste test the sulfuric waters, which are used as a curative when drank. Not surprisingly, they both prefer swimming in the bath to drinking from it, as the water’s flavor is somewhat eggy and can be difficult to get used to. Afterwards, they allow some Hungarian masseuses to work them over, showing off all the great things the baths have to offer.

Gemini Man is in theaters now, meaning that in his own way, Smith has once again returned to Budapest. Enjoy the clip from Good Morning America, which, if you are like us, will cause you to think back fondly on the warm weather and days spent at the bath house.

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