Will Smith revealed in an interview that has resurfaced after beating Chris Rock at the Oscars last month that his box office success was driven by his fear of cheating.
Smith has faced unprecedented scrutiny in recent days after he slapped Rock in the face in response to a joke the comedian made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s, shaved head. Pinkett Smith has spoken out about hair loss due to alopecia.
A video was unearthed this week of Smith attending an Oscars round in January 2016, in which he revealed his “strange psychology” behind saying he would never be cheated on again after an experience as a teenager.
He said: “I told this to my mum the other day and she thought it was hilarious. I said when I was 15 my first girlfriend cheated on me. and I wanted to do that by being the greatest actor alive.”
Speaking to a variety of actors, including Samuel L. Jackson, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo, Smith continued, “So there was this weird psychology I’ve always had: ‘If my movies are #1, my life will work out great.”
While the other actors participating in The Hollywood Reporter’s roundtable sat in silence and listened to Smith, Jackson was seen rolling his head back in laughter.
The clip was posted to The Hollywood Reporter’s YouTube channel on January 18, 2016. Three days later, news broke that Smith would boycott the Oscars due to a lack of diversity among the acting nominees that year.
Nonetheless, Smith enjoyed tremendous box office success through a list of successful films including Independence Day, I Am Legend, Suicide Squad, Hancock, and the Men In Black and Bad Boys franchises.
However, as is well documented, Pinkett Smith has publicly admitted to having an extramarital relationship with singer August Alsina. When Smith sat with her on her show Red Table Talk in 2020, Pinkett Smith famously described the situation as “an entanglement.”
During the special, Pinkett Smith and Smith said their relationship with Alsina happened during a hiatus. Smith later revealed that he also sought affection outside of their marriage when their relationship didn’t become monogamous.
Will Smith has revealed he was motivated to achieve box office success to combat his fear of being cheated on again after a girlfriend was unfaithful as a teenager. The star joins his wife Jada Pinkett Smith at the Paramount Pictures premiere of “Gemini Man” held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California on October 6, 2019.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images;/Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Pinkett Smith opened up about her marriage to Esther Perel in 2019 when the therapist and author guest-starred on her show. During their conversation, the Girls Trip star asked Perel about “divorce alternatives.”
“Everybody thinks that as soon as you find out you’re having an affair, you have to get a divorce,” Pinkett Smith said at the time, per People.
“I’m not of that belief,” Perel replied, “because I think there’s a lot of betrayal in relationships.
“And especially on women, it’s the really new pressure,” she continued. “God forbid you still love the person who actually cheated on you. Maybe this person is a lot of things and cheated on you. It’s like the shame of staying, now that you can go, you have to get out.”
Pinkett Smith, who has been married to Smith since December 1997, said she “can relate” to Perel’s testimony.
The actress added, “I’m often asked, ‘Is there infidelity in your relationship with Will?’ And it’s like ‘no’, but there were other betrayals at heart that were far greater than I could imagine in terms of an infidelity situation.
Smith shocked viewers and attendees during the March 27 Academy Awards when he slapped Rock before shouting at the comedian, “Keep my wife’s name out of your friggin’ mouth.”
Less than an hour after the incident, Smith returned to the stage to accept a Best Actor Oscar for his role in the biopic King Richard. Shortly after the Oscars’ governing body, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announced that disciplinary action would be forthcoming, Smith resigned from the organization.
August Alsina and Jada Pinkett Smith at the 2017 BET Awards at the Staples Center on June 25, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Pinkett Smith admitted in 2020 to having an extramarital relationship with Alsina.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
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