Will Smith has been all over the internet with the release of several blockbuster movies including, Gemini Man and Bad Boys For Life with his long time buddy, Martin Lawrence. Not only that, the confessions his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, made has also brought the world to his attention. In her Facebook show, Red Table Talk, Jada had a conversation with Will, where she admitted she had an affair with August Alsina, a twenty-seven-year-old singer, through their son, Jaden.
Shocking, right?
Although the situation was resolved at the interview, the two even high-fived in the interview, it still got a lot of people talking. No matter what the world thinks about Will or the dire conversations he has with his family, he will always be one of the most famous actors in the world.
If you’ve never had of Will Smith, then that means you’re living under a rock, at the Mariana Trench. He’s known around the world for his charisma and the positive vibes he infuses into people. He’s loved and supported by millions of people around the world who always want to get a glimpse of him or his autograph. He’s been acting since the 90s, where he played a lead role in the NBC show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Since the end of the show, he has quickly risen to be one of the world’s famous top-paid actors of all time.
You might know Will Smith only as a famous actor, however, you are going to learn 10 interesting secrets that only a few people know about him.
10. He speaks Spanish fluently
One of the many things Will Smith as kept largely hidden from the public is his prowess in speaking Spanish. After Will was criticized for poorly singing the popular Spanish lyrics of Ritchie Valen’s 1958 hit, “La Bamba.” He took on Instagram where he shared a video of him masterfully singing the Spanish song. He also took the liberty to create a video of him singing a Spanish track “X,” by Nicky Jam, featuring J. Balvin. “Before starting a great day on the set of my new film, I need the perfect music to create energy,” he sings in Spanish.
9. He turned down the role Neo in the film The Matrix
The Matrix, a 1999 blockbuster film, is one of the few iconic movies that many people still regard as the best sci-fi movie ever made. The role, Neo, in The Matrix was played by Keanu Reeve that made him an overnight star. However, before the role was given to Keanu, it was initially offered to Will Smith. In his famous YouTube channel for over 8.71 million subscribers, he explained the reason why he turned down the role. Will talk about how unconvincing The Wachowskis, the writers, and directors, explained the action sequence. He wasn’t convinced about the concept of The Matrix. However, he expressed that he is not in any way happy with his decision.
8. His mansion and six cars were taken
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a huge TV show that debuted in the fall of 1990 till 1996. During the first three seasons, he had to hand over seventy percent of his salary to repay his tax debt. At the age of 16, Will Smith made it big in his rap career that earned him a lot of money. For his young age, he was unable to manage the money and, therefore, lived a lavish life. He failed to pay taxes on the money he earned as a rapper and ended up owing $2.8 million in back taxes. He was requested to return all his possessions. Will later said, “There’s nothing more sobering than having six cars and a mansion one day, and you can’t even buy gas for the cars next.”
7. He can solve the Rubik’s Cube in seconds
If you know Will could solve the Rubik’s Cube professionally before now, then you are a true fan. This should have been obvious if you often watch Will’s films because he has solved the Cube in several of his films. In his film, The Pursuit of Happyness, Will showed one of his many prowess of solving the Rubik’s Cube in less than fifty-five seconds to impress a stockbroker and gain entry to an intern program.
But, someone must have taught him, right?
Will Smith got to learn how to solve the Cubes from Tyson Mao, the co-founder of the World Cube Association and holder of the World’s record for solving the cube blindfolded. “After an hour and a half, people typically can solve the Rubik’s Cube with a sheet of instructions on it, without any input from me,” Mao said. “After ten hours, Will Smith was able to solve the Rubik’s Cube on his own, without anything. Not only learning the process but committing it to memory.” Now you know.
6. He is a world record holder
Will Smith is no new name in the Hollywood industry. The actor has been featured in lot blockbuster movies over several years. His ’90s flick, Bad Boys, was the movie that launched him to stardom. However, would you have guessed that, in 2005, The Men In Black actor held the Guinness World Record of having the most public appearance by a celebrity in just twelve hours by being in three red carpet premieres while promoting his film, Hitch? He is that good.
5. He became a millionaire as a teenager
Will Smith wasn’t born with a silver spoon. He was born in West Philadelphia and raised Baptist. His real name is Willard Carroll Smith. He was named after his father, which makes him a Jr. At a young age, he was known on the street for his charisma, which later got him the nickname “Prince.” Who knew that nickname would later become his rap handle, “Fresh Prince.” Will was raised in the rap culture of West Philadelphia and at the age of 12, he had the desire to also create a hip-hop name for himself. He began his rapping career on the street, where he was improving freestyle has he performed on the street while he included a comedic flair that would later become his signature style.
At the age of 16, Will hooked up with Jeffery Townes (also known as Jazzy Jeff) at a house party where they both performed. This was the creation of the classic duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Their first single, “Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble” became a hit in 1986. Will and Jazz became a millionaire with the release of their first album, Rock the House, which certified their name as household names.
The duo’s release of the second album, He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper, quickly became a hit as the lead single of the album, Parents Just Don’t Understand, earned the duo’s their first Grammy award for Best Rap Performance in 1989. They went on to win several awards including a Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 1992 and reached №4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
4. He Rejected MIT Scholarship
Will Smith was born on September 25, 1968. Will’s dad, Willard Carroll Smith Sr., was a U.S. Air Force veteran and a refrigeration engineer. And his mother, Caroline Bright, was a Philadelphia school board administrator. Will attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia.
Will Smith, the rapper, graduated from Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. However, Will wasn’t interested in getting into college even when he was given the scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) because he wanted to rap. According to Will, “My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college.” I guess he never needed college since he was already a millionaire.
Before Will Smith got to marry his current wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sheree Zampino was his first wife, and mother of his oldest son, Trey. Zampino is an entrepreneur who currently has an online store, Sheree Elizabeth Boutique, which carries jewelry and clothes. Smith married Zampino in 1992 and split just after three years together. Their son, Willard Carroll Trey Smith III, was born on November 11, 1992, who appeared in Will’s music video for 1998 single, “Just the Two of Us.”
In 2016, an actress named Alexis Arquette claimed their marriage ended after Will cheated on Zampino with Hollywood manager Benny Medina. In an interview, Will had with his current wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk, calling the split his “ultimate failure.” He also went on to say, “Divorce was the worst thing in my adult life. Divorce was the ultimate failure for me. I’ve been hurt a lot in my adult life, but I don’t think anything touches the failure of getting divorced from my two-year-old son’s mother.”
In total, Will Smith has three successful children, which are: Trey Smith, Willow Smith, and Jaden Smith. It might not surprise you that Will’s children have a bit of everything he has himself; however, Jaden is the only child that is successful in both the acting business and the music industry. His name became well known when he recorded the song “Never Say Never” with Justin Bieber in 2010. Jaden has the biggest career of Will’s children, consistently touring and producing new music. Jaden Smith is recognized to be the one with most wealth (about $8 million) among his siblings. He has been featured in various movies “The Karate Kid,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” and starred alongside his father in “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
For those who are interested further in the life of Will Smith, beyond the movie, should search no further because he has a YouTube channel where he talks about family, his personal life, racial injustice, and basically, every other thing. His channel also includes guest appearances of various stars including, Hollywood actors, singers, athletes, and fans.
