Will
by Will Smith
Related videos
4:51
Excerpt from a longer conversation between Smith and Oprah
589K
9K
Nov, 2021
Spoiler:
In this short excerpt from a more in-depth conversation with Oprah, Will Smith talks about hitting rock bottom when he landed in jail and found himself in trouble with the IRS. He and Oprah agree that one of the difficult things about being successful is that, as Smith writes in the book, people have a schizophrenic relationship with winners: if you're down too long, they start to root for you, but if you're ever up for too long, “you better get a helmet.”
2:26
Short teaser for book with video and photos of Smith
397K
23K
Nov, 2021
Spoiler:
Promising readers that they will learn a whole lot of things they never knew about Will Smith, the author speaks over video clips of him doing daring things, working, and hanging out with his family. He says he was in the “zone of honesty” while writing the book, and advises listeners that “nervous is great” because outside our comfort zone is where growth happens.
6:21
Smith sits down with Good Morning America in his native Philly
294K
5K
Nov, 2021
Spoiler:
Speaking from his hometown Philadelphia, which he says is “stamped on his heart,” Will Smith opens up about how he felt as a child watching his father abuse his mother. He calls himself a “coward” and says he considered suicide at 13, adding that although he knew he would never be physically violent with his loved ones, the damage manifests in other ways. He also talks about the joy of portraying a certain type of fatherhood in “King Richard.”
9:02
In-depth book summary and review in animated format
3K
91
Feb, 2022
Spoiler:
This animated book review starts by mentioning that Oprah called Will Smith's book the best memoir she has ever read, a statement with which the reviewer agrees. The video then dives into some of the main points of the book, covering Will Smith's turbulent childhood, his early career as a rapper, and his discovery that acting brings together everything he likes to do: music, storytelling, fantasy, and entertaining. The summary also touches on the marital problems and solutions he has encountered with Jada Pinkett Smith.
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Publications
The New York Times: The Fresh Prince of Belles-Lettres? Will Smith Has a Memoir.
The Washington Post: In Will Smith’s memoir, the superstar is self-deprecating but ultimately invincible
The Times: Will by Will Smith review — how an ‘average talent’ became ‘the biggest movie star in the world’
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"To anyone I’ve offended, I just want to say, I reinvented electric cars and I’m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?"
“My biggest problem was that I had succeeded, at least in the pursuit of building my company. Where I had failed was with the rest of my life.”
"I wanted to coach women to be the best in the world, but without subscribing to the dominant paradigm that athletes are disposable and that winning was worth just about any price."
"Between 1942 and 1944, an estimated six tons of dental gold were deposited in the vaults of the Reichsbank."
“This book is for... every immigrant who has crossed, who has tried to, who is crossing right now, and who will keep trying.”
"My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. You don’t have to live in the past."
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"Over and over, the answer is the same, isn’t it? Love, love, love. The salve and the cure."
"We now have the power to control our genetic future, which is awesome and terrifying. So we must move forward cautiously and with respect for the power we’ve gained."
"Catching greenlights is about skill: intent, context, consideration, endurance, anticipation, resilience, speed, and discipline."
"When you lift up women, you lift up humanity."
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"When you think you're done, you're only at 40% of what your body is capable of doing. That's just the limit we put on ourselves."
"For me, becoming isn't about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self."
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"The key, though, is being aware of how you’re feeling and how you need to be feeling. It all starts with awareness."
"The minute you start compromising for the sake of massaging somebody's ego, that's it, game over."
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"My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs."
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"The ability to make connections across disciplines—arts and sciences, humanities and technology —is a key to innovation, imagination, and genius."
"I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over."
"I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills."