A simple family-bonding session can give birth to disastrous consequences when it involves a board game; ask Will Smith, and he would know exactly why. Jada Pinkett Smith once revealed that her husband has been banned from partaking in their Christmas-time family tradition of playing board games. This was a result of the King Richard alum’s uber-competitive nature, which transcends beyond on-screen, professional endeavors.
In his memoir, titled Will, the acclaimed Oscar-winning star gave his readers a broader perspective on the matter that was first disclosed by his wife several years ago. Turns out, the actor’s merciless nature when it comes to playing Monopoly with his family landed him in trouble and taught him a significant lesson.
Will Smith Is Very Passionate About Monopoly
If you have ever played a single game of Monopoly, you’d know that it can effectively work towards destroying friendships and causing unintended conflicts. Something of a similar nature happened with the Emancipation alum. The actor stated in his 2021 memoir that he became a master of the board game, after receiving guidance from professional instructors. As a diligent connoisseur of the game, the actor knows his way around it.
However, Will Smith‘s impressive skills ended up spelling disaster, as his overtly competitive nature jeopardized the family’s Christmas Eve bonding time. He recalled finding himself in what he terms a “lamentable Monopoly purgatory.”
Here’s an excerpt that details the beginning of the incident:
“Willow was seven, she established the first monopoly. Illinois, the red properties. I have Virginia and States (the purples), Boardwalk and Park Place, and three of the railroads. But I’m broke. Jaden is leery of my Monopoly skill set, so he’s squeamish about doing deals with me. He’s nine, and he’s refusing every angle and offer I present him with to get St. Charles from him and complete my purple monopoly.”
From the aforementioned, we can observe that even the actor’s younger son, Jaden Smith, was wary of his father’s Monopoly expertise, refusing to strike any deals with him. Things only escalated from this point onwards. It was Jada Pinkett Smith who had to face the brunt of her husband’s Monopoly strategy.
Jada Pinkett Smith’s Family Bonding Time Was Ruined
In one of the rounds, the renowned Men in Black alum caught on to the fact that with his wife’s dice roll, she would most likely end up moving onto one of his properties. It was at this point that the actor’s strategy was set into motion, as he started making deals to expand his property. Jada Pinkett Smith challenged the Hollywood star, and asked, “Are you sure you want to do that?” Will Smith, with budding excitement, said yes.
The actor handed his younger son, who was the banker in the game, $400 which was required to finalize an in-game transaction. In his mind, Will Smith was sure of the Girls Trip actress’ upcoming move; he was confident that she would either roll a 6 or an 8. This fatal move would, however, push Jada Pinkett Smith into in-game bankruptcy, rendering her defenseless.
The actress, before proceeding with the dice roll, decided to question her partner’s Monopoly strategy. Pinkett Smith asked, “So you are sure that you want to put your wife out of the family Monopoly game with your children on Christmas Eve?”
What Will Smith did not grasp back then were the implications of the above question. While his wife was emphasizing the importance of bonding with the family, the actor was mostly concerned about winning, rather than enjoying the game. Oftentimes than not, an attitude like this can push others into feeling isolated from the Monopoly experience, where the primary objective is to have fun with friends and family.
Will Smith’s Monopoly Obsession Got Him Banned From Family Games
The actor’s prediction came true. Jada Pinkett Smith rolled a 6 and this ended up putting her on one of Will Smith’s properties. It was game over for the Set It Off alum. While the actress did maintain her poise to silently retreat from the game, it was blatantly obvious that her husband’s in-game skills and the desire to win jeopardized her bonding session with the family on Christmas Eve.
In his memoir, the Bad Boys actor recalled the following:
“Jada turns her property into the banker (Jaden), kisses Willow, touches Trey’s hair, and heads off to bed … My mindset was: You fight how you train. I felt like Jada and my family needed me to think like that. They needed me to cultivate and maintain a winner’s mind … It took me years to realize that Jada wasn’t actually playing Monopoly.”
The distinguished talent was, back then, oblivious to what had happened. His never-ending desire and ambition to flourish seeped into his personal life. His competitive nature ended up endangering otherwise enjoyable family traditions.
Will Smith has now, after years, realized what his wife was trying to do during the Christmas Eve Monopoly game. She was not trying to compete, and neither was she hell-bent on winning. Jada Pinkett Smith simply wished to connect with her family and engage herself in a gratifying bonding session.
This incident taught The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum the importance of family traditions. In his autobiography, Smith offered his readers a retrospective glance into this anecdote, where now the actor is aware of his cut-throat competitive nature and has developed a new principle to abide by, where he plans to never “get caught playing Monopoly.”
We certainly hope that the Hollywood star’s change of heart has unbanned him from participating in the family games.
Source: CheatSheet
