When Dari Smith, 19, communications major, began his acting career at 8 years old, he didn’t think his most recognized role would involve him sniffing someone’s butt. Yet, that is exactly what he did in the 1998 film “Dr. Doolittle,” playing a young Doolittle.
“The film crew made sure to spray the actor with a lemon scent before we started filming so all my bases were covered,” Smith said laughing.
In the memorable scene, his father in the film introduces him to his principal on the first day of school. Rather than shaking his hand, he sniffs his butt like a dog since his character was used to interacting with animals, Smith said.
“I was a hyper kid and my dad wanted to put that energy to use,” Smith said. “He knew I liked acting, so he got me an agent when I was six and let me run wild.”
Following the success of “Dr. Doolittle,” Smith starred as a young Michael Jordan in the 1999 TV film loosely based on the NBA star, “Michael Jordan: An American Hero.” He worked with Broadway star Debbie Allen and “Ghost Buster,” Ernie Hudson at 8.
“There were a lot of perks. I got to see first hand what goes on behind the scenes, I met other child actors, had free catering and had my own tutor,” Smith said. “But I felt like I wasn’t having the same social experience as most of the kids my age, so I decided to take an extended break from acting.”
Smith also said being a child actor was a strain on his father’s career because he missed a lot of work to take him to auditions and had to be present while shooting on location.
Smith attended View Park Prep High School in Los Angeles and developed an infatuation for the Japanese culture including anime and manga comics. After studying Japanese for a year and a half, his father took him to Japan for his 16th birthday.
“We were there for a week and visited most of the major tourist cities. It was incredible to see the masses of people in the city streets. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” Smith said. “I want to go back soon as either a student or to work as a translator.”
Beginning his second year as a communications major, Smith said he plans to transfer either out of the state or the country. He wants to be multilingual and travel.
The best advice, Smith said, for those interested in acting is to get a good agent and have patience because it usually starts slow.
“Expect the unexpected,” Smith said. “I didn’t think I was going to get those parts, but it affirmed the idea at a young age that anything is possible.”