Will Smith - Smith: 'Movie Made Me More Careful'

WILL SMITH is glad he plays a depressed, suicidal tax officer in new film SEVEN POUNDS - because it made him take greater control over his own destiny.

The Hancock actor stars as a U.S. IRS agent who is racked with guilt about his past mistakes in the upcoming drama.

And he admits the role has made him behave more cautiously in case fate deals him a tragic blow.

He tells USA Today, "That's one of the elements that attracted me to this idea - how much control you can have over your life but how much you don't have once you relinquish it.

"I make choices in my life after working on this film. I found myself walking down the stairs and it's raining, and I found myself grabbing extra-hard on the railing. Just think, one slip - and that's it. You have to be conscious. You don't have control after you've set these dominoes in motion. Your control point is before you make this crucial mistake."