Will Smith ‘Truly Believed’ He Could Be President at One Point

The presidency used to be reserved for those who have a history of working in politics. However, with Donald Trump being elected and Kanye West running for president, it seems the White House has opened its doors to celebrities as well.

Will Smith is one famous face who has considered making a move for presidency. In fact, Smith once said that he “truly believed” he could be president.

Will Smith has talked about his political ambitions

Smith is well-known for appearing in numerous hit movies, though he seems to also have bigger goals than just being an actor. In fact, in 2015 he told CBS Sunday Morning (via Entertainment Weekly) that “being the biggest movie star in the world as a goal actually was too small.”

In the same interview, he also expressed disapproval for Trump’s policies, saying he might need to run for president as well.

“If people keep saying all the crazy kinds of stuff they’ve been saying on the news lately about walls and Muslims, they’re going to force me into the political arena,” Smith said.

Smith later clarified that he was “kind of joking” about being president, according to Entertainment Tonight.

Will Smith even ‘truly believed’ he could be president at one point

Although it seems Smith might not be serious about running for president anymore, the actor once admitted that he really thought he could be president.

In a 2018 article on LiveAbout.com, Smith said, “I’ve always called it naiveté with me that a few years ago I said that I honestly, truly believed that I could be the President of the United States. Now, there were probably political experts that laughed. But put me on a lie detector test right now and I absolutely, positively believe that I could be the President of the United States.”

This admittance came while Smith was talking about his rags-to-riches film The Pursuit of Happyness, which was released in 2006. The movie was based on a true story of a man named Chris Gardner who went from being homeless to owning his own stock brokerage firm. Smith seemed to admire Gardner’s determination to reach his goals while not letting racism get him down. The actor seemed to apply that into his view about his own chance of getting the presidency.

“You have got to believe that it’s already a done deal,” Smith said. “It’s just a matter of time before you get what you’re designing. To me — Barack Obama called it the audacity of hope. That’s designed into the fiber of this country.”

Jada Pinkett Smith is against Will Smith being president

Smith being president has also brought up the question of whether his wife would like to be the first lady or not. For Jada Pinkett Smith, the answer seems to be no.

According to Variety, Pinkett Smith said, “I told him that there’s no way he can run for President because nobody wants me as the First Lady.”

Meanwhile, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Smith also shared that his wife is truly against the idea of him being president.

“My wife has said on numerous occasions, ‘Hell, no,’” Smith said. “I’m not sure what she means by that, but that is what she said.”