Will Smith’s Child Co-Stars Got Candid About The Way He Acts Behind Closed Doors

In November 2021 King Richard was released, with Will in the title part of Richard Williams, the father of tennis icons Venus and Serena. It was a fitting role for Will to take on, as he and Williams share some parallels. For one thing, both are parents of famous children whose careers they were instrumental in shaping.

Will and wife Jada’s kids, Jaden and Willow, both grew up in the spotlight. And both followed their parents into the worlds of acting and music. Will has never been far away from his kids’ efforts, even starring in two movies with Jaden, so he may have felt a certain kinship with Williams in that regard. After all, he was synonymous with everything Venus and Serena did.

In fact, Williams has often been cast in the role of pushy parent over the years and has even been disparagingly labeled as Venus and Serena’s carnival barker. Their older sister Isha told Vanity Fair that, when Williams had found out about the movie, he had been wary of it. He allegedly told her, “I don’t know if I want them to do the film. I don’t want people to hate me.”

This aspect of Williams might have spoken to Will as well, as his hands-on approach to his children’s career has sometimes been criticized. One such critic was NME magazine writer Tom Connick. In 2019 he pointedly penned, “Pushing his kids to front-and-center, not a care in the world for how the pressures of fame might affect them… was his first real misstep.” Ouch. 

Will’s unconventional marriage has also taken its toll on his public perception. In the past few years, he and Jada have revealed that they have an open relationship and value friendship over what they call “marital prison.” With his family and professional lives so intertwined and fraught, it’s made some wonder if his conduct behind the scenes has been negatively influenced.

Flash back to May 2013, though, and the Smith family hype train was in full swing. While promoting their upcoming movie After Earth, Will and Jaden sat down for an interview with New York Magazine. This was their second film together, after 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness, and the journalist wanted to know if father and son planned to make more movies as a duo.

Jaden excitedly replied, “I definitely would do another one, absolutely. You know how Johnny Depp and Tim Burton always do movies together, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio? We’ll have a relationship like that.” To Jaden, he was simply joining the family business. It just so happened that said business was international movie stardom.

The young actor then explained how he and his father’s working relationship had evolved over time. Jaden revealed, “Well, with the first movie he was teaching me along the way. This is how the camera works. You do several takes. Like, literally everything you need to know about movies.” Then, when he starred in The Karate Kid, Jaden said his dad watched him implement all he had learned.

By the time After Earth rolled around, Jaden believed that his father saw him as more of a peer. He revealed that Will said, “All right, you’re an actor; I’m an actor; let’s make a movie together.” A happy Jaden added, “So it was like a collaboration, you know what I’m saying?” Sadly, these would prove to be famous last words for the young star. 

During a warts-and-all interview with Esquire magazine in 2015, Will unburdened himself about what he considered had been the greatest failure of his long career. Spoiler alert: it was After Earth. However, while the film was a dud at the box office and was critically lambasted, these things weren’t what caused the most pain for Will. 

When asked why After Earth crashing and burning had hurt more than his other notorious flop Wild Wild West, Will got candid. He said that Jaden’s involvement in the project had made everything worse, as he had convinced his son to do the movie with him. An emotional Will admitted, “That was excruciating.” 

In 2021 Will elaborated on the subject of the flop in the pages of his memoir – fittingly titled Will. He wrote, “After Earth was an abysmal box office and critical 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,” continued Smith. Shockingly, Jaden was so hurt by the experience that he floated the idea of becoming a legally emancipated minor. In Will, his father revealed that they hadn’t talked about it directly, but he had been aware of how their relationship hung in the balance. 

“We never discussed it, but I know he felt betrayed,” wrote Will. “He felt misled, and he lost his trust in my leadership. At 15 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.”

Perhaps the saddest aspect of the whole situation is that, to date, Jaden and his father haven’t made that third collaboration. In fact, Jaden’s acting career has scaled back considerably. Since 2013, he has only acted in two independent movies and starred in Netflix’s The Get Down series. In 2018 he told USA Today that the roles he had been offered by Hollywood simply hadn’t been interesting to him. 

Sadly, this wasn’t the first time one of Will’s kids had been put through the wringer by the pressures of fame. In 2010 daughter Willow shot to fame with the release of her debut single “Whip My Hair.” She toured as a support act for Justin Bieber for a month, but on the last night of the tour admitted to her dad that she didn’t want to perform anymore.

According to Will, he told his little girl that she had tour dates still to come in Australia and she had to fulfill them. Perhaps feeling ignored by her dad, Willow took matters into her own hands. Will wrote, “Willow came skipping into the kitchen for breakfast. ‘Good morning, daddy,’ Willow said joyfully, as she bounced to the refrigerator.” 

“My jaw nearly dislocated, dislodged, and shattered on the kitchen floor,” continued Smith. “My world-dominating, hair-whipping future global superstar was totally bald. During the night, Willow had shaved her entire head.” Once he had a chance to process and let the shock dissipate, Will couldn’t help worrying about Willow’s obligations.

“My mind raced and scrambled — how was she going to whip her hair if she didn’t have any?” pondered a panicked Will. “Who the hell wants to pay to watch some kid whip their head back and forth?” Thankfully, a moment of realization soon came over him, and he knew what he had to do for Willow. 

Will wrote, “But before I could respond, I felt something slowly turning, shifting, until it clicked into place. In a moment of divine connection and revelation, she had reached me. I leaned down, peered deeply into her eyes, and said, ‘I got it. I am so sorry. I see you.’”

Interestingly, Willow had previously opened up about this period of her life in 2018. On Red Table Talk, the Facebook Watch show she co-hosts with her mother and grandmother, the young star revealed that she had had to learn how to forgive her parents for their conduct at the time. She said, “It was mostly Daddy because he was so harsh at certain times.”

“It was a couple of years, honestly,” Willow continued. “Trying to regain trust for not feeling like I wasn’t being listened to, or, like, no one cared how I felt. And I had to forgive myself because I felt guilty because everyone is trying to make me better, trying to make my dream. But I didn’t really understand what my dream entailed.”

And Will has often been honest about the difficulties of being a famous father, with a famous wife, raising famous children. When he spoke with Esquire, he revealed how his kids had to deal with the pressures of social media being amplified by their fame. He said, “With this generation of kids growing up, the technological battering is almost the norm.”

“They generally avoid the stuff,” Will continued. “They’re really well-adjusted around this business and understanding the nature of having to take a battering. It’s a brutal world out there for young people, for everybody.” He then alluded to a time Willow had had a taste of the dark side of social media and had wound up in tears. 

As for Jaden, Will again reiterated that his son understood the nature of the game. He revealed, “If he wants to do it, there’s a certain amount of battery that you have to be willing to live through.” He added, “We call it leaning into the sharp parts. Something hurts, lean in. You just lean into that point until it loses its power over you.” 

Will certainly leaned into the sharp parts for King Richard, with the movie being praised for its refusal to shy away from uncomfortable truths. Buzz soon began to build that he would be rewarded with his third Oscar nomination for his incredible performance in the film. He had previously been nominated for 2001’s Ali and 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness but didn’t win either time.

The film was acclaimed for its authenticity, as it covered some of the more unpalatable aspects of the Williams’ family unit. It mirrored how, in the last few years, Will has gained a reputation for being brutally honest with the media about his own off-screen family life. Was any of this reflected in how Will treated his on-screen daughters? 

Short answer? No. When Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton were asked by Metro about working with Will, they only had good things to say. Sidney, who played Venus, revealed, “Oh my gosh, he’s the funniest person ever! He’s so loving and very respectful. What I love about him is that he creates a relationship with everyone on set.” 

Overall, Sidney felt Will was great at creating a comfortable space behind the cameras, and she believed they all became a happy family. Her on-screen sister Singleton added, “He’s really fun; he’s really fun to work with, and he’s so wise. Everything he did, there was a lesson within it, so we learned a lot by being on set with him.” 

Will helping to foster such a family dynamic on the movie perhaps made it easier for the two young actresses to feel a real sisterly closeness. Sidney revealed, “It didn’t take long for us to just immediately bond. There were times where I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is she gonna like me?’ But it was so real for us.” 

Singleton agreed wholeheartedly, saying, “It was real! To bond, we just did what every other teenage girl does — hang out, go to the mall, see a movie. We went to the Grove a lot, in California.” She then added, “We would just hang out, and that, I think, really did help us with bonding and getting that sister-like energy.”

Both actresses also waxed lyrical about Will to Yahoo Canada, with Singleton reiterating, “He’s really wise, and I don’t even think that he realized that he was giving us a life lesson half of the time.” She then spotlighted one of his best pieces of advice — a mantra that made a huge impression on the young stars. 

“I think one of the most important things he said was that everything good comes to an end, but so does everything bad,” remembered Singleton. “So let the good outweigh the bad, and don’t let those bad things stop you, because it won’t last forever. He definitely made us look at life in a different perspective, especially as young women.” 

Singleton also revealed that Will had made sure to impart to the girls something his own grandmother had instilled in him from a young age. She said that he had told them, “to make sure that you respect your peers and people you see throughout your career, because you may see them on your way up and then you may see them on your way down.” 

From Will’s perspective, he was quick to applaud Sidney and Singleton for their dedication to inhabiting Venus and Serena so thoroughly. In fact, he likened it to the intense preparation and training he went through for Michael Mann’s Ali. Considering that that role netted him his first Oscar nomination, it was certainly high praise.

During a King Richard virtual press conference, Will said, “I just want to say, Saniyya and Demi had to learn to play tennis like two of the greatest tennis players of all time. When I had to try to learn how to play Muhammad Ali, I know how daunting that was.” It was a task both young women rose to, though.

“There are professional fighters who can’t move and play it like Muhammad Ali,” Will continued. “There are professional tennis players that can’t play like Venus and Serena. And I was watching Saniyya, and I just want the world to know, not only did Saniyya learn how to play like Venus, Saniyya is left handed.”

The disbelieving and proud Will then confirmed that Sidney was right handed in real life. He said, “She learned how to play with her off hand. She learned how to play like one of the greatest tennis players of all time with her off hand. I was like, clap your hands, you know!” He then smiled as he added, “It was just such a beautiful thing to watch.” 

So, it seems Will is good at leaving any home troubles behind shuts the door behind him in the morning. But that’s not to say he gets on well with everyone he works with. One particularly infamous on-set feud occurred during his days on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The full story has only recently been revealed.

In November 2020 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion debuted on HBO Max. The 74-minute special brought the core cast of the show back together for the first time in decades. Will led proceedings and reminisced with cast stars Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Joseph Marcell, Parsons, and Daphne Reid.

The cast spoke about Will’s chemistry with co-star Ribeiro – better known as Will’s nerdy but lovable cousin Carlton. Ali – who played the latter’s little sister Ashley – says in the video, “I remember our first table read, [Will] and [Ribeiro] were chasing each other around the table. They were just playmates from the very beginning.”

Will adds, “We started to see the dynamics between the other characters and Uncle Phil, Aunt Viv were holding the base and Will and Carlton being able to run wild. It became clear very quickly that that became the most powerful comedic asset of the show.” Indeed, Will and Carlton’s relationship is one of the most beloved aspects of the show to this day.

For his part, Ribeiro felt he and Will were a great double act. The star adds, “We knew that we could rely on each other and there was always a respect and trust.” Will then pinpointed the familial bond on the show that felt genuine. He says, “What happens on family shows like this, it’s one of those things you cannot buy or fake chemistry. It’s just the way we all came together as a group was very special.”

Another topic of discussion was James Avery, who portrayed patriarch Uncle Phil. He unfortunately died in 2013 following heart surgery, but Will paid tribute to him. The star sheds a few tears and adds, “[Avery], he pushed me so hard. His thing was, I’m in such a unique position and [with] that responsibility you must elevate your craft. People don’t even know when they’re shaping you and forming you and crafting you…”

The biggest talking point that emerged from the reunion, though, was Will burying the hatchet with a cast member he reportedly hadn’t spoken to for 27 years. Janet Hubert – who played Aunt Viv for the first three seasons – left the show under a cloud and over the years she has publicly blamed Will for her exit. In fact, even in 2011 Hubert had shot down the idea of a reunion – indicating the cast wasn’t always one big happy family.

Hubert told TMZ at the time that she believed Will was “still an egomaniac and has not grown up. This constant reunion thing will never ever happen in my lifetime unless there is an apology. He doesn’t know the word.” Something must have changed in the intervening nine years, though, because Hubert did attend the HBO Max reunion.

Hubert said, “[Will] was young. He was out of control in his own way. He had all this power.” The actress claimed that while Will would joke around on set, she maintained a level of professionalism. Perhaps this led to an unfair perception of her, as Hubert added, “The misconception of me was that I was haughty, difficult [and] wanted to be the star of the show.”

In the HBO Max show, both Will and Hubert are slightly nervous at the beginning of their conversation. The latter admits, “This has been tough. Has it been tough for you?” And Will responds, “Yes, it has.” Hubert goes on to explain that she was pregnant during the show’s third season, and it led to some unrest on-set. She was also unhappy at home, due to her husband allegedly being abusive.

“Home life was not good at all,” Hubert says. “I was no longer laughing, smiling, joking because there were things that were going on that nobody knew about.” Unsurprisingly, the unhappiness she was experiencing outside work began to affect Hubert’s behavior on-set. And Will is able to acknowledge that he didn’t treat her well during this period.

“During that time of her pregnancy, I wasn’t sensitive,” Will candidly admits in the show. “I wasn’t perceptive, and now that I’ve had three kids, I’ve learned some things that I did not know at the time, and I would do things very differently. But I can see where I made the set very difficult for [Hubert].”

In the midst of this turmoil, Hubert claimed she was offered a new deal by the producers of the show. It would have seen her screen time and salary reduced, but she would also be contractually prevented from looking for other acting jobs. As her husband was out of work at the time – and with a newborn baby at home – Hubert rejected the offer and left the show.

“I was never fired, but the misconception was always put out there,” Hubert continues. “I was trapped – what could I do? They said, ‘Okay, then we’re going to recast your role,’ and I said, ‘What can I say?’ I was hurt, deeply.”

Soon after Hubert’s departure, Will made some pointed remarks about her during an incendiary interview with an Atlanta radio station. According to E!, he said, “I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air show... She’s mad now, but she’s been mad all along.”

Will reportedly added, “She said once, ‘I’ve been in the business for ten years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.’ No matter what, to her I’m just the Antichrist.” Will later apologized for these comments in an Essence magazine article, but Hubert told the outlet that his negative sentiment still lingered with her.

As part of the reunion episode, Hubert tells Will, “I lost everything – reputation, everything – and I understand you were able to move forward, but you know those words – calling a black woman ‘difficult’ in Hollywood is the kiss of death. And it’s hard enough being a dark-skinned black woman in this business.” Hubert claimed her life after the show became extremely difficult and it was Will’s fault.

“When I left the show, I had this new baby and no one,” Hubert says in the video. “Family disowned me, Hollywood disowned me, my family said you’ve ruined our name and I wasn’t unprofessional on the set. I just stopped talking to everybody because I didn’t know who to trust. I had been banished. They said it was you who banished me.”

Despite this hurt, though, Hubert wanted to put their differences aside. She says in the clip, “I felt it was necessary for us to finally move forward, and I’m sorry that I have blasted you to pieces.” This was a reference to the times she slammed Will and his behavior over the years in interviews and on social media. The latter then thanked her for telling her side of the story.

The box-office superstar then muses, “When I look back now it’s obvious that you were having a hard time and I felt like you hated me. I could not do a 30-year celebration of this show and not celebrate you, celebrate your contribution to the show, celebrate your contribution to my life. The person I want to be is someone who protects you, not someone that unleashes dogs on you.”

All in all, Hubert felt their conversation was about healing. She says in the video, “I feel like this is a dream. I didn’t come here to have animosity. I came here to resolve, [because] it’s time.” The pair then apologize to each other and hug. Hubert subsequently asks, “We good?” and Will replies with a smile, “We good.”

Even though Will and Hubert agreed to heal their broken relationship, the latter still wanted to examine the reasons behind his actions as a young man. So, he recorded a special episode of Red Table Talk. The Facebook Watch talk show is usually hosted by his wife Jada, mother-in-law Adrienne and daughter Willow. Though this episode was just Will and Dr. Ramani Durvasula – a clinical psychologist and regular on the show.

“I’m not arrogant enough to think that my actions and behavior were perfect,” Will states. “My actions and behavior were flawed and hurtful.” The reflective star then thought about Hubert’s disdain for him over the years and admitted, “There’s nobody on earth that would say I hurt them that badly.”

“That’s not how I want to be and how I want to make people feel,” Will then declares. “My whole life and career has been centered on aggressively trying to make people feel the opposite of that.” So why does he think his relationship with his on-screen mother went so badly south? Well, part of it might have been his youthful insecurity.

Will says that as a young actor, he felt intimidated by Hubert’s talents and by her experience in the entertainment industry. He adds on the Facebook Watch show, “[Hubert] was Juilliard trained. [Hubert] can sing. She can dance. She can act. She’s brilliant and she was in the parental figure. So, my little boy desperately needed her approval.”

Though Will claimed that he didn’t get Hubert’s approval. Not only that, but their relationship also became cold and distant. He believes this brought up painful memories of his troubled childhood. The Bad Boys star tells Dr. Durvasula, “My father was violent in my house.” And he now wonders if he created his entertaining persona to combat that violence.

“So, a part of the whole creation of Will Smith – the joking, fun, silly – was to make sure my father was entertained enough not to hurt my mother or anybody in the house,” Will goes on. “So, that plucked a childhood space of inadequacy and when someone comes at me like that, the little boy is fully in that space. And I would perform and dance and tell jokes.”

“People laughing and people having fun was my defense mechanism,” Will admits. “I just notice now in this moment that I fell back into my family dynamic with my television family. That I was the jokester, and I was laughing, and I was playing, and I needed everybody to be joyful so I could feel safe.”

Dr. Durvasula then helps Will understand how he operates in relationships with women. The latter subsequently explains in the video, “Because of my dynamic with my mother as a little boy – my father beat my mother and I couldn’t protect her – female disapproval is unbearable. My body can’t handle it.” Ultimately, it’s possible this may have caused him to lash out when Hubert didn’t give him her approval.