Will Smith is undeniably a successful actor. He has received box office success as well as critical success, and the Bad Boys actor continues to make films that are crowd pleasers and important to him. His family is a part of his success, and have always been open about navigating their lives as public figures. They have used their Facebook show, Red Table Talk, as a platform for this openness. Even with a family all pursuing Hollywood careers, a lot of regret followed, and much of it had to do with his daughter Willow Smith.
Smith returned to the talk show space recently as he sat down with Kevin Hart on his show Hart to Heart, which is available now with a Peacock subscription. The King Richard actor talked about his own career trajectory and told stories, including one about a time involving a helicopter and Steven Spielberg. He also got candid and things he has learned along the way about balancing a personal and family life with career aspirations. According to Smith, his creative life was at its peak in 2010, when he was at the top of his game, and his kids were also embarking on their own careers.
2010 was like the greatest year of my life as an artist, as a parent. Karate Kid came out in June, 'Whip My Hair' came out in October. And I'm building this dream of a family I've had in my mind. 'I'm going to do it better than my father did it.' We've talking about it, you know my father was abusive. You know, I told myself I would never have that kind of energy with my family and I had a dream, an idea of a family I was building. Pretty much 2010 to 2012 I had achieved everything I had ever dreamed. I was beyond the wildest dreams. I was blessed beyond anything I could ever imagine.
While things may have been going well career wise for his family, the encouragement from Smith for his kids to enter the entertainment industry so early ended up backfiring. Success did not end up equalling happiness and while on the surface things were great for the Smiths, this was a very emotionally turbulent time, especially for his daughter, Willow. He said:
But nobody in my family was happy, No one wanted to be in a platoon, you know? Willow was the first one to begin the mutiny. It was my first realization that success and money don't mean happiness. Right? Up until that point, I really believed that you could succeed your way—to a house and a family—and you could win your way to happiness.
This led to a lot of regret for the actor, who realized he should’ve prioritized mental health and contentment over a strong career. Following 2010, the Smiths stayed in the industry, but things slowed down. But recently the younger family members have been killing it. Jaden Smith was nominated for a Grammy last year after being featured on a Justin Bieber album and has explored a music career in addition to an acting career. Willow Smith’s music career has picked up, and is also achieving success as a musician. Last year she released her sixth album, Coping Mechanism, although she maintains that she's thinks growing up famous is terrible.
While they may have experienced fame and success later, it seems like Willow especially had a hard time. Child acting and music careers have been a subject of controversy for a while now, and many don't emotionally adjust well to the experience when there is parental pressure. The fact that Smith is able to look back on the experience, and see where he went wrong is a positive thing.
You can catch Will Smith’s latest film, Emancipation, now with an Apple TV+ subscription. Fans of the actor should also check out our feature on the Independence Day star’s best movies from his abundant Hollywood career.
