After a nearly two-and-a-half-year hiatus from the big screen, Will Smith returns as the wish-granting blue Genie in Disney’s new live-action adaptation of its 1992 animated film Aladdin. The superstar, whose blockbuster career began over 30 years ago, said starring in his first Disney movie has re-ignited his passion for acting.

“I can honestly say this was the most fun I had making a movie, and one of the greatest experiences of my professional career,” said Smith at the film’s Hollywood premiere on Tuesday night at the El Capitan Theatre. “I’ve made some good movies and some questionable ones”—at this point, he whispered, “like Wild Wild West!” before raising his voice and continuing: “but this one is so special. I took a couple of years off, and Aladdin really helped me find meaning again in my heart and soul for performing.”

Directed by Guy Ritchie, the remake of Aladdin focuses on themes of self-worth and confidence. Smith immediately connected with the film’s core values, and the opportunity it gave him to show off a variety of skills. “To be able to sing, dance, rap, act, and do action with special effects all together in one film was a spectacular job. It’s like I’ve been training how to do this over the last 30 years for this role—but what I’m most proud of is the message, and the beautiful themes at the center of the story,” said Smith. “The idea about self-worth: being yourself, honoring yourself versus wanting to change yourself for other people, and learning to be confident and to be empowered by who you are is what this movie is all about, and I’m excited to be a part of sharing this message with the world. This is why I am an artist—to have a purpose to share messages that can help people.”

That said, Smith almost passed on the Genie role. The 50-year-old star admitted he initially was “too nervous and deeply intimidated” to follow the late Robin Williams, who first voiced the wisecracking magical being.

“When I got the call to play Genie, my first reaction was, ‘Uhhh? I’m not sure about this, only because Robin Williams did such a brilliant job,’” said Smith. “He revolutionized how things worked in animated movies, and introduced to the world what you could do by using funny, modern references for adults. I thought, what would I do differently, and what could I add? It was terrifying, because Robin didn’t leave much room for improvement.”

After his son Jaden urged him to reconsider, Smith watched the original film multiple times to study its music. He realized his hip-hop background could help him create a new signature persona for the Genie.

“I discovered that Robin infused all of his stand-up comedy personality into Genie—and for me, the old-school hip-hop angle was my tool to make him my own,” said Smith. “Hip-hop was where I was centered with the music, and that’s where I could inject my persona and add my own flavor in a way that would allow me to pay homage to Robin, capture the nostalgia from the original movie, and be able to create my own take on Genie. That’s when my version of Genie was really born. It left some room for me to give the audience something new and special.”

Smith promised that “everything that you loved in the original is going to be in the new movie,” though the story also got a few modern updates. The new version portrays Princess Jasmine, played by Naomi Scott, as even more headstrong and outspoken than her animated predecessor. She fights for equality and sings her own new song called “Speechless,” an empowerment anthem written by longtime Disney composer Alan Menken and songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

“The words and the lyrics in ‘Speechless’ are very timely, and the message behind the song is that everyone has a voice,” said Scott, a British actress and singer. “It doesn’t matter who you are, what your gender is—your voice matters, and speaking out against injustice matters even if you aren’t going to win the battle. I’m really proud to embody this message.”

Newcomer Mena Massoud, who plays Aladdin, is an Egypt-born actor raised in Toronto. He is delighted that Ritchie’s live-action Aladdin has one of the most diverse casts of any Disney production.

“What I’m really proud of is the ethnically diverse casting in the movie,” said Massoud. “It’s not often you see in a movie all people of color from around the world represented like this. A movie like this was missing from my own childhood. Growing up, I didn’t see anybody with my skin color or my background. I didn’t know it was possible to have a Middle Eastern actor in a lead role. So I’m really excited for little kids of color to see people who look like them on-screen. My wish would be for positive representation and more diversity coming from Hollywood.”

Speaking of: in both the remake and the original, Genie grants Aladdin three wishes. What would Smith, one of the most successful actors in the world, wish for?

“I wish for deep and defined wisdom,” said Smith. “I just want an understanding on so many things about life and about the world. There’s a lot of confusion and a lack of understanding, which leads to fear and violence. My experience has been when you’re not confused, life is fun, and when you’re uncertain, ignorance can be a horrible creator of fear and then fear creates negative actions. So I wish for defined understanding to be shared with all.”