Willow Smith Once Considered Removing Herself From Society Because of Celebrity Life
Will Smith and the rest of the Smith family are used to being in the public spotlight. And although there may be certain benefits that come with that level of fame, it also came with many cons. Being the daughter of celebrity parents, Willow felt that her life could end up in either one of two ways.
Willow Smith once felt she could only either join the family business or completely isolate herself from society
Willow Smith was well aware of the troubles that growing up with celebrity parents can bring. Although some might consider that kind of lifestyle a dream, for Willow it could occasionally be a nightmare. Speaking to Girlgaze (via Vogue), Willow opened up about how hard it was growing up with celebrity parents. Especially at a time when she was still trying to figure things out herself.
The singer was also aware of how the children of celebrities sometimes turned out, and how that related to her own experience.
“You can’t change your face. You can’t change your parents,” Willow said. “Most kids like me end up going down a spiral of depression, and the world is sitting there looking at them through their phones; laughing and making jokes and making memes at the crippling effect that this lifestyle has on the psyche.”
Because of this, Willow felt like being Will and Jada-Pinkett Smith’s daughter left her with only two options in life.
“I’m either going to try to go into it completely and help from the inside, or…no one is going to know where I am…and I’m really going to take myself completely out of society,” Willow said. “There’s really no in-between.”
Willow Smith told Will Smith she just wanted to be a 12-year old
Willow Smith was originally slated to star in Annie, a remake of the classic film produced by him and Jay-Z. It was a project that Smith was excited for his daughter to be a part of. But HuffPost reported that Smith discussed in a press conference at Temple University why his daughter backed out of the project.
“Willow was supposed to be doing Annie, we got Jay-Z to do the movie, got the studio to come in and Willow had such a difficult time on tour with “Whip My Hair” and she said, ‘You know Daddy, I don’t think so,’” Smith recalled.
At first, the Bad Boys actor objected to this before his daughter convinced him it was the right move.
“I said, ‘Baby, hold up!’ I said ‘no, no, no, listen, you’ll be in New York with all of your friends and Beyoncé will be there. You will be singing and dancing,’ and she looked at me and said, ‘Daddy, I have a better idea, how about I just be 12,’” he remembered.
Willow Smith once regretted making ‘Whip My Hair’
The hit-song “Whip My Hair” helped raise Willow Smith’s profile. It established the young singer as a star in her own right and not just the child of celebrities. Despite its success, however, Willow initially wasn’t a fan of the record or the superstardom that came with it.
“For so long, I wanted to condemn that time of my life and forget it, just kind of push it under the rug,” she told L’Officiel. “I really regretted it.”
But her opinion of the song would later change, and she was able to find value in it.
“I listened to ‘Whip My Hair’ not too long ago, after many years, and realized that it’s the same message. I’m not saying anything that’s against my values, and on top of that, I’m saying things that are in harmony with my values,” she explained.
