Why Will Smith Once Compared Jaden and Willow Smith to Johnny Depp and Paris Hilton
Jaden and Willow Smith have proven to be just as much as the entertainers as their parents, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Jaden Smith had once followed in his father’s footsteps by pursuing both an acting and hip hop career. Meanwhile, Willow Smith also embarked on a musical career and has been a frequent collaborator on her mother’s Red Table Talk.
But at one point, Will Smith had compared both Jaden and Willow Smith to Johnny Depp and Parison Hilton respectively. Although it might not be for the reasons some might expect.
Will Smith used to make his kids audition to avoid nepotism
Smith once revealed that he felt both of his kids just had a natural passion for acting. But he didn’t believe his daughter, for instance, wanted to become an actor solely because her parents were.
“With Willow, she just loves it,” Smith told Collider.
However, Smith also believed that Willow wanted to pursue acting because of her brother Jaden. Inspired by what he did in The Pursuit of Happyness, Willow wanted to follow in her brother and father’s footsteps.
“She just wants it, she has a drive, an energy, and she just connects to human emotion. I think a big part of it is probably Jaden. After The Pursuit of Happyness and she saw what Jaden did, she thought, ‘I want that,’” he said.
But Smith revealed he doesn’t just give Jaden or Willow Smith roles. To avoid enforcing nepotism, he made his kids go through some of the challenges other actors face in the industry. This includes making them audition. For Willow, they made her audition for her small part in I Am Legend
“The night we told Willow that she got the role, because we make our kids audition and all of that, we don’t do the whole nepotism thing, so Jaden was sitting where you are,” Smith said. “I’m Willow. We always call the family in and we announce all the good things that happen with everybody in the house and everybody has to share in it.”
Why Will Smith once compared his kids to Johnny Depp and Paris Hilton
Although the two Smith kids may have once had the same passion for acting, their motives could be completely different. In the same interview with Collider, Smith revealed why he saw more of Johnny Depp in his second son. Meanwhile, Willow came across more of a Paris Hilton type to the Independence Day star.
“Jaden, we say when we look at Jaden and Willow, that Jaden is Johnny Depp,” Smith said. “He just wants to do good work. He doesn’t care if people see it or don’t see it.”
But according to Smith, Willow enjoyed the glamour and attention that came with being a celebrity.
“Willow is Paris Hilton. Willow wants to be on TV. We are managing both of those in the household,” Smith quipped.
Jaden Smith wanted to move out the house at age 15 to get out of the Hollywood bubble
According to Page Six, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Jaden once revealed why Jaden moved out of the house at just 15 years old. Initially, Jada was saddened by her son’s desire to leave the family.
“At 15 years old, Jaden, and I remember this day specifically, it’s probably one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life. You got to a point where you told me straight up, you were like, ‘Mom, I have to leave here to live my life,’” Jada recalled.
But despite Jada’s feelings towards the situation, she understood where her son was coming from.
“I remember thinking to myself, as devastated as I was, I was like, ‘He’s right. The time is now. He’s 15. It’s time for him to leave the house,’” she shared.
But Jaden also developed a new perspective on his family after spending some time away from home.
“It just makes you appreciate being at home, being with your parents, spending quality time with your family,” he said. “You get out into the world and you just understand things.”
