There’s no denying the star power in the Smith household. But Will says he never pushed his kids into show business.
“It may seem like we have pushed our kids into the business, but that is absolutely insane,” Will told New York magazine. “I would never, ever, push somebody to have their face on a poster that’s going to be everywhere in the world.” The concerned father says Jaden, whom he co-stars with in After Earth, made an informed decision to get into acting.
Will says he supports his kids’ decisions and admits it’s “less scary” than if Jaden wanted to be a dentist because of the relationships he’s built. “I have relationships with some of the biggest filmmakers and actors and producers on earth,” said Will. “So I can be a huge help.”
Despite making a huge splash on the charts a few years ago, Willow has chosen to live a life out of the spotlight. Will told the magazine how the conversation happened. “She said, ‘Daddy, I want to go to school with my friends during the week, and I want to hang out with them on the weekends.'” He followed up, “At the peak of ‘Whip My Hair,’ she’s like ‘Daddy, I’m done.’ I was like ‘Wow, wow, wow. No, baby, I got Annie, you know. It’ll be in New York, you’ll be with Beyoncé. You can bring your friends.’ And she said, ‘Daddy, I got a better idea. How about I just be 12?’ At the end of the day, it has to be their choice.”