Will Smith Bungee Jumps Over Grand Canyon To Celebrate 50th Birthday

Actor Will Smith successfully bungee jumped from a helicopter over the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Tuesday to ring in his 50th birthday. He took the leap in front of relatives and friends and it was live-streamed on YouTube.

Though the stunt was billed as a jump "in the heart of the Grand Canyon,” it was over a smaller gorge on the Navajo Nation, a Native American territory which borders the east rim of the national park, the Associated Press reported. He described the event as going "from pure terror to absolute bliss."

The actor said the decision to take the leap relates to a family trip in 1976. Smith added he was the only one in the family who was terrified to walk up to the edge of the canyon, Huff Post reported.

“I was scared to take in the beauty,” he said. He has tried to confront his fears head-on since that moment which is why he returned to the canyon to do the bungee jump on his birthday.

Variety reported that the actor agreed to take the leap after being challenged by the YouTube group Yes Theory in March in order to help promote awareness for Global Citizen’s education efforts. It was part of the group's efforts to force themselves and viewers out of their comfort zones.

The live-streamed video captured the actor as he was lifted into the air, standing on the helicopter’s side. A few minutes later, he sprang backwards with his arms out wide. The video captured the screams of onlookers and showed shots of his family and friends, including former co-star Alfonso Ribeiro, cheering him on. Once he was back in the ground, he was hugged by his close ones.

“Nothing. Nothing will ever be scarier than that. It goes from complete, absolute terror to the most magnificent bliss you’ve ever felt in your life,” Smith said, Fox News reported.

He then quipped about being “happy" as "the cord worked."

“And I don’t know what it is, when the cord works — first of all, you happy the cord worked, right. Then it’s like the whole Grand Canyon is mine. I’m just kinda hanging there and the choppers far away — you’re not really hearing it — it’s like just bliss and it’s like nobody will ever have that view. It’s like me and the Grand Canyon, it’s like that combination. It’s almost like you need terror to experience the bliss,” he said.

“It’s spectacular. It’s spectacular. It’s spectacular,” he said before adding that he “would definitely do it again.”

Prior to the jump, he posted a photo of his “squad” on Instagram. “My Squad holding me down for my big 5-0. We’re gonna start live streaming on my YouTube soon, link in bio#willsmiththejump,” the caption said.

This is not the actor’s first bungee jump. Last year, he jumped from the top of Africa’s Victoria Falls, a famous 355-foot waterfall in Zimbabwe.