Will Smith reveals dog in I am Legend was 'brilliant actress' and actually played dead during emotional scene

Will Smith has spoken about the iconic dog from his 2007 post-apocalyptic thriller, I Am Legend, and praised her acting skills.

The actor recently sat down with Sean Evans for an episode of the much-loved series Hot Ones on YouTube.

Evans is known for getting celebrities on the show, giving them increasingly spicy levels of hot sauce and asking them well-researched questions while they fight back tears.

Talk about unique.

Will Smith is the latest star to sit in the hot seat, and the Men In Black superstar spoke on a variety of topics during the 23-minute episode.

Among revealing that he accidentally compressed his spine while filming Ali, and personally ranking his four best performances in films, the 55-year-old spoke about Abbey, the German Shepherd he starred with on I Am Legend.

Smith has previously revealed he didn't particularly like dogs until he met Abbey.

After his dog was hit by a car when he was just nine years old, he didn't allow himself to form a connection to any dogs, but that all changed on the set of the 2007 film.

"Abbey and I spent a lot of time together. She was big and bouncy, but looked great, and I wanted to get close to her," Smith previously told revealed to Dogs Monthly Magazine.

"I was with her all the time and we became the best of friends. I liked having her around and when the movie production ended, I wanted to keep her. I was no longer nervous of any sort of dog and kind of fell in love with her."

She was attached to her owner Steve though, so stayed with him, but he said it was 'the start of a different approach to dogs for me.'

Will with Abbey at the I Am Legend premiere. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The connection was so deep in fact, that Smith released a video tribute on social media to the pooch, known as Samantha in the film, on National Pet Day.

A real tear-jerker, the feelings displayed in the video are still present today, based on Smith's comments on the dog in Hot Ones.

When asked if he tried to adopt the dog following the film, he revealed: "Yes. Yes. Man, it was like Abbey spoke English. You could say, 'hey Abbey, did you see where I left my phone?' She goes 'woof'," as Smith pointed and started laughing.

He said that she could understand you, and it was 'the weirdest thing' - though also joked that she was the 'bread-winner' of her family.

"It was really amazing to watch... the scene where she bites bites bites, where we had to do this thing where I choke her," he said.

"Abbey is doing that, he trained Abbey to go limp, how do you train a dog to go limp?"

Smith revealed that her owner and trainer would simply say 'Abbey, die', and she would play dead, like she did in her final scene of the film.

He concluded by saying that working with her was like working with a 'brilliant actress'.

Abbey was the star of the film. (Warner Bros.)

Her owner, Steve Berens, previously told LADbible that Abbey 'really knew nothing' when she first walked onto the set for I Am Legend, but she 'learned fast' and took to the role like a true natural.

He admitted that even he had picked up on Will and Abbey's close bond, saying: "I think that she really liked him, and that made a difference.

"I think that's one thing in the film I was very happy with, and very proud of - the relationship was really solid."