While Will Smith desperately tries to support his children throughout their life, his desperation appears to be an outcome of his past lessons. Previously trying to support his son Jaden Smith by relaunching his acting career, the Emancipation actor came inches close to losing his son.
Following the release of their 2013 movie After Earth, where Jaden Smith appeared alongside his father, the duo faced considerable box office failure, like none. Feeling exposed after the catastrophic failure of their movie, the 24-year-old thus asked to be emancipated when he turned 15.
Will Smith And Jaden Smith Faced $243M Catastrophic Failure
Jaden Smith proved to have great potential in acting during his childhood years after he appeared alongside his father, in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness. He further enjoyed great success in The Karate Kid and even nurtured a talent for music. However, his 2013 movie After Earth seemed like a massive turn in his career.
Willing to relaunch his son’s career, Will Smith decided to feature him in the $243M movie. However, his plans turned into a major failure following the catastrophic fate of the movie. “After Earth was an abysmal box office and critical failure,” Smith wrote in his memoir. The 2013 movie After Earth, turned into a box office mess and essentially became Jaden Smith’s first taste of professional failure.
“And what was worse was that Jaden took the hit. Fans and the press were absolutely vicious; they said and printed things about Jaden that I refuse to repeat. Jaden had faithfully done everything that I’d instructed him to do, and I had coached him into the worst public mauling he’d ever experienced.” Will Smith wrote.
Wishing to triumph and regain his acting career, Jaden Smith failed to consider the negative outcome of the movie. The 24-year-old even got targeted by fans and media, as the movie exposed his lack of acting skills. Thus, failing to handle the negativity, The Karate Kid star decided to abandon his parents.
Jaden Smith Asked To Be Emancipated After Box Office Failure
Despite Will Smith’s great attempts at relaunching his son’s career, he failed at his endeavors when his 2013 movie along with Jaden Smith failed at the box office. Speaking about the catastrophic movie and its aftermath, in his memoir Will, Smith discussed the heartbreaking steps his son took.
Devastated for his son, who was 15 years old when After Earth turned into a failure, Will Smith wrote about the attacks Jaden Smith faced from the press. “We never discussed it, but I know he felt betrayed. He felt misled, and he lost his trust in my leadership,” Smith claimed. He further explained how the attacks took a toll on his son, which forced the teenager to take the decision of abandoning his parents.
“At fifteen years old, when Jaden asked about being an emancipated minor, my heart shattered. He ultimately decided against it, but it sucks to feel like you’ve hurt your kids” Will Smith wrote.
The Men in Black actor explained how his “heart shattered” after learning about his son’s decision to be emancipated at the age of 15. Willing to take control of his life and have the freedom to pick future projects, Jaden Smith decided to leave his family. However, later gaining maturity, the 24-year-old “ultimately decided against it”.
Watch After Earth on Amazon Video.
Source: People
