Will Smith Jr. is an American actor and musician. In the music industry, he was known as Fresh Prince, which he adapted from his high school nickname. His career in rap music helped set him on a direct path to Hollywood fame. Smith started his career in Hollywood with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, where he presented himself as a fictionalized character.
After building himself a great legacy as an actor and winning an Oscar for his movie King Richard, the same night of the 94th Oscars, the actor’s life came spiraling down. He slapped the comedian Chris Rock on the stage at the ceremony over a joke about his wife, and though he later apologized on multiple occasions, many in the industry condemned his actions and cut ties with him. Now, the actor has released his autobiography that shares his life experiences – Will.
Also read: Will Smith Lost a Million Dollars Per Month after Chris Rock Oscars Slap
Will Smith’s Father’s Alcoholism Ruined His Childhood
Will Smith shared with the audience through his autobiography, Will, that as his father was a chain smoker he was greatly affected by it because “he had a brutal temper” and most of his childhood was ruined because of him. By the time he turned fourteen, he was knee-deep in smoking and alcohol, up to the point where his parents were worried due to his bad temper and attitude.
Due to his deteriorating manners, Will Smith’s father was sent to a boarding school in Pennsylvania, with all the money his parents could afford in order to rectify his current way of lifestyle. In school, he was forced to learn “farming techniques and basic handyman work”. But because of his headstrong nature, rather than working and learning he skipped classes and started smoking again which resulted in him being kicked from school but later he was accepted back upon his parent’s requests.
Will Smith’s Autobiography Will
It may be because of his father’s influence on him when he was younger that Will Smith had an outburst of rage at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. He slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage after he couldn’t take a joke that was pointed at his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith who suffers from alopecia, which causes hair loss. Will Smith later went on to apologize on multiple occasions. Smith added in an interview with Trevor Noah even highlighted,
“It was a lot of things; it was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother. All of that just bubbled up in that moment, That’s not who I want to be.”
Smith went on to win his first Oscar on the same night for his role in King Richard. He also won a Golden Globe for the same movie, King Richard in 2022. After the shameful situation at the Academy Awards, The Academy banned Will Smith from the Oscars and other Academy events for the next ten years. Will Smith after he was banned commented, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
Will Smith’s Daddio’s Way Out
When Smith Sr. turned seventeen he ran from the boarding school and enlisted in the United States Air Force in an attempt to defy his parents and the school. But later it turned out for the good that all this intense training instilled structure and discipline into his life that his parents wanted from him. It was in the military that he found what he did best. He took pride as he could outlast anyone in his newfound passion.
But though he became a work ethic with limitless energy and great intelligence, he still had a brutal temper. After serving for two years in the military, he was involved in a gambling situation where due to his uncontrollable rage and frenzy, he fired his service pistol in the barracks. It was the rough side of his personality that led to his downfall. This all somewhere is still something that has an influence over the actor’s mind. He is gravely affected by his father’s past and it had its effect on him as well. But the actor made it out of the worst and rose to be one of the best.
Will Smith recently starred in an Apple Original Emancipation which was released on December 9, 2022. The show focuses on a man who escaped slavery and is on a quest for finding freedom relying only on his faith and love for his family. He also evades hunters who kill for a living and navigates his way through the swamps of Louisiana.
Emancipation is streaming on Apple TV.
Source: Will – Will Smith’s Autobiography.
