Willow Smith On Why Her Dad Avoids Emotionally Heavy Roles

Will Smith has dedicated many years to portraying diverse characters in film, but his daughter, Willow Smith, notes that there are some roles he prefers to avoid.

In an episode of Kid Cudi’s “Big Bro” podcast, Willow discussed her father’s careful consideration of the emotional impact of a character before committing to a project. This topic arose during a conversation about creative endeavors that can emotionally affect individuals.

Willow mentioned, “My dad has specifically said no to certain roles because he felt like the energy was too heavy to be bringing into the house. Like, ‘Nah, I’m not even gonna touch that because… I don’t wanna be coming home to my family in this… just in this.’”

She elaborated, “That’s like a deep one. Like, you really have to embody it if you’re doing it right.”

This provides an interesting perspective on the decision-making process of an actor with a diverse career, featuring roles in comedy, action, science fiction, and serious dramas. Following his rise to fame on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Will achieved blockbuster success with films like Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, I Am Legend, and The Pursuit of Happyness. His work has garnered him an Academy Award, multiple Grammy Awards, and NAACP Image Awards.

Will Smith has also shared his reasons for turning down significant projects in the past. During The Hollywood Reporter’s 2015 Actor Roundtable, he explained his decision to decline Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, a role that was later taken by Jamie Foxx. “It was about the creative direction of the story,” Will stated. “To me, it’s as perfect a story as you could ever want: a guy who learns how to kill to retrieve his wife taken as a slave. That idea is perfect. And it was just that Quentin and I couldn’t see [eye to eye].”

He expressed a desire for the film’s central theme to focus on love instead of revenge. “I wanted to make that movie so badly, but I felt the only way was, it had to be a love story, not a vengeance story,” he said.

Will also voiced discomfort with using violence as a solution, stating, “We can’t look at what happens in Paris [the terrorist attacks] and want to f**k somebody up for that. Violence begets violence. I just couldn’t connect to violence being the answer. Love had to be the answer.”

Willow’s comments provide further insight into how her father has thoughtfully built his career while considering his family.