Will Smith may not be going to Washington after all.

Last weekend, the “Concussion” actor told CBS’ “Sunday Morning” that the extreme positions taken by Republican presidential candidates (especially Donald Trump) had led him to consider a run for the presidency himself. But when Entertainment Tonight followed up with Smith about his political plans on Wednesday, he said that he hadn’t been entirely earnest.

“I was really kind of joking when I said that,” Smith said.

Kind of — but not completely. Smith explained that playing Nigerian doctor Bennet Omalu, who forced the NFL to recognize the dangers of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, inspired him “to defend the ideals that help build such a beautiful country.” And he felt like the current state of our political discourse ran counter to those ideals, making him interested in becoming more politically active.

Not that Smith is a total newbie to the political game. He’s a generous contributor to the Democratic party, having given well over $100,000 to the Democratic National Committee and Barack Obama’s campaigns over the last few election cycles. So if he does end up deciding to run at some point — maybe in 2024? — he’ll likely be able to call in a few favors for his campaign.

Also on HuffPost:

– This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.