TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES (NEW MEXICO) — Will Smith has a new outlook on teenagers: Parents do indeed understand.
The rapper-turned-actor says he’s “grown a lot” since writing the Grammy-winning 1988 hit that humorously declared they didn’t.
All three of his children now at least dabble in music and acting, most notably 14-year-old Jaden, who stars with his father in the new sci-fi film, After Earth. Even in the midst of a globe-hopping promotional tour for the movie, Smith recognises the downside to making stardom a family affair.
“I think that the major risk of this particular business is strictly emotional,” he said in a recent interview. “The business has almost a narcotic quality. So it’s almost as if you’re introducing a narcotic into your kid’s life.
“So for (wife) Jada (Pinkett Smith) and I, the most important thing is that they have to stay focused and grounded on the fact that they are giving. You don’t make movies for your ego. You make movies to transfer information, to bring joy, to add value to the world.”
Smith does everything he can to playfully poke at his son’s ego: When Jaden loudly drops a water bottle during a TV interview, he is quickly reprimanded
“You’re kidding, right? You’re kidding. That’s the most unprofessional thing I’ve seen you do!” he teased.
After Earth is set in a future where nature has turned on humans, and Jaden plays a trainee trying to follow in the footsteps of his father, a famous military leader played by Smith. When the two crash-land, Jaden’s character must prove his own abilities to survive.
Smith said he wants his family to be successful in the entertainment industry across generations, and has searched Hollywood history for models.
“I’ve looked for a lot of years. The Barrymores got really close to what I see in my head for my family,’’ Smith said, referring to the clan of theatre and film actors famed in the 1930s and now represented by Drew Barrymore.
Smith’s daughter Willow, now 12, appeared in two movies but has focused on music. After causing a stir with the pop smash Whip My Hair three years ago, she’s backed away from the spotlight but continued to release songs online. Smith’s other son, 20-year-old Trey, has taken up DJ work and posts electronic dance songs and mixes online. Jada Pinkett Smith is an actress, author, singer-songwriter and businesswoman. She and Smith started Overbrook Entertainment, which has produced many of his films, including After Earth.
Smith makes no apologies for encouraging his children to follow their parents towards cameras and microphones. “I grew up in a family business. So it’s like everybody works together and that’s how the family bonds and communicates and how we eat,” he said. “In my mind, I’m a warrior and I’m teaching my son how to hunt. And how else would I teach my son how to hunt other than bring him with me and we’re in an interview and this is what I do and this is the business I work in. To me, I can’t imagine what the other option is.”
That said, he approaches parenting differently than his own father, a former Air Force pilot who enforced strict discipline on Smith and his siblings.
“The major difference is I’m trying to release the sense of ownership,” Smith said. “With our kids, Jada and I believe that it’s their lives and we are helping them with their lives. And they’re not our property. They are people who are deservant of our respect and consideration in the same way that any other human being should be.”
Beyond acting, Jaden learned his father’s early raps and now writes his own. While he isn’t looking to replicate the one-time Fresh Prince’s every move, it’s clear he has internalised Dad’s long-term outlook on the family business.
“If I wanted my career to be exactly like his, then people would keep telling me for the rest of my life, ‘Wow, you successfully pulled off your dad’s career. Congratulations!’” Jaden said. “If I was doing just what he did, then my son would feel like he had to do just what I did. I want my son to feel like he can be a classical pianist if he wants to.” AP
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