Before the infamous Oscars slap, Will Smith sat down for an interview with David Letterman ahead of the new season of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.” He detailed a life experience that led him to view his career differently.

The veteran actor explains the time that he took ayahuasca, which is a psychoactive brew discovered in the Amazon basin more than one thousand years ago, that took him on 14 journeys. He notes that it was one of the “most hellish psychological experience” of his life.

“I drank, and it usually takes about 45 minutes to kick in,” he said during the interview. “And I’m sitting there and you always feel like, ‘Maybe it won’t kick in this time.’ So I’m drinking and sitting there and then all of a sudden it’s like I start seeing all of my money flying away, and my house is flying away and my career is going away.”

He further explained how it was a life-altering event that provided him with a new perspective on life.

“I can handle any person I lose, I can handle anything that goes wrong in my life,” he continued. “I can handle anything in my marriage. I can handle anything that this life has to offer me.”

Smith made headlines not just for snagging his first-ever Oscar win, but also for the turn of events that led up to that moment after he took the stage to slap fellow actor and comedian, Chris Rock.

During the conversation with Letterman, the 53-year-old also explained that there are often three various perspectives that one can have on life.

“There’s a person that you want to be and a person you want to be viewed as. And then there’s who you really are,” said Smith.

Although the interview was recorded prior to the Oscars fiasco, it is the first time fans will physically see Smith who has been out of the public eye since the April event.