— Will Smith
As quoted in "Will Smith : My Work Ethic Will Make Me A Legend" by Siobhan Synnot in Daily Record (22 December 2007) http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity-interviews/2007/12/22/will-smith-my-work-ethic-will-make-me-a-legend-86908-20262460/
This was reported in various new stories http://www.volokh.com/posts/chain_1198541498.shtml as if Smith had declared that "Adolf Hitler was essentially a good person."
Smith responded to such misinterpretations in further statements:
It is an awful and disgusting lie. It speaks to the dangerous power of an ignorant person with a pen. I am incensed and infuriated to have to respond to such ludicrous misinterpretation. … Adolf Hitler was a vile, heinous, vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on this planet.
"Will Smith Explains Hitler Quote" by Karen Salkin in People (26 December 2007) http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20168278,00.html; Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League accepting Smith's clarifications stated: "If anything, this episode serves as a reminder of the power of words, and how words can be twisted by those with hate and bigotry in their hearts to suit their own world view."