Will Smith Breaks Down As He Talks About The Realities Of Fatherhood

Jun 24, 2020

A-list actor Will Smith is known for his Hollywood roles on the big screen, as well as his role as a father to his three children. For a Father's Day special Will Smith gave an intimate interview on " Red Table Talk ," and discussed his experience of fatherhood openly.

The 51-year-old actor spoke with the host of the show who also happens to be his wife, 48-year-old Jada Pinkett Smith. Will first talked about his own father, Willard Carroll Smith Sr., who was a turbulent force in his household when Will was growing up, reports Yahoo!. He revealed that his father was abusive towards his mother, Caroline Bright.

"My father had a little bit of a temper. I was a gentle kid, like, I was not a kid that you had to slap or punch or beat. So growing up in a household where physical aggression was approved of, that really chaffed my hide. That hurt my spirit," said Will.

Will has one son, 27-year-old Trey, from his first marriage, and a son, Jaden, 21, and daughter, Willow, 19, from his marriage to Jada. Will claims that his father's mistakes and flaws were painful at the time, but that he was able to learn from them so that he could take away the negative aspects and understand how to be a better dad to his own kids. 

"Well there’s such beautiful qualities that he instilled that are a big part of what made me 'me,' and as the yin to every yang, I watched [my father] beat up my mother. So the biggest emotional scar that I have in this lifetime, he delivered that also. He showed me a lot of things that I wanted to do, but he also showed me the things I would absolutely, positively never do to my children," Will told Jada.

Will then discussed how his initial experience of becoming a father at only 24-years-old was daunting. He described it as the first time he felt the true responsibility of parenthood.

"I think that was my first moment of the real weight of parenting. I brought him home, and I remember we put him in the bassinet… and it was like stark terror. I’m totally responsible for this life… I just cried so hard. It makes me teary right now," he admitted.

Will got quite emotional, wiping away tears, and even asking for a tissue at one point. He was determined not to let the anxieties and worries get in the way of him being a great dad. Jada agreed with Will, stating that his father inspired her husband's persevering nature.

"It was [always] like, 'my father did this,' 'my father did that,' 'when I'm a parent...' and then it hit me how fragile parenting is. And in that moment I could see all the spectacular lessons—what my father had instilled in me—and it was like, there's no way. I'm not that good, but you know how my mind works: I got a good night's sleep and [it was] game on," Will concluded.

Can you relate to Will Smith's experience of fatherhood? Let us know in the comments!