The 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' actor read his memoir to his family and friends that he mentioned in his book to make sure they were OK with what his recollections.
- November 10, 2021
AceShowbiz - Will Smith staged a "book camp" in Miami, Florida, so family and friends could read what he had written about them in his memoirs.
The "Men in Black" star didn't want anyone to be surprised with the revelations in "Will", so he gathered his inner circle and family members and made sure they were OK with his recollections - particularly those linked to his tough upbringing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
"I did a two-week book camp in Miami, where I called everybody that I mention in the book and I read everybody every single word," he tells "Good Morning America".
"My mother and I had never even discussed my father being abusive with her... and the first time that we actually sat down and acknowledged the reality was when I read her the chapter... It was hardcore."
Smith used the book as therapy to tackle some awkward truths from his youth, including the time he considered suicide after his parents split when he was 13.
"My mind had twisted into being my fault that my parents weren't staying together and somehow I had failed," he explains. "You just never know what's going on in the mind of children."
Will Smith also mentioned his former wife Sheree Zampino in his book as he got candid about the real reason why they got divorced.
"Sheree and I were in the first few months of our marriage with a brand-new baby and for Sheree, I can imagine that this experience was unsettling to say the least," he wrote. "She'd married a guy named Will Smith and now she was living with a guy named Paul Poitier (his character's name). And to make matters worse, during shooting I fell in love with Stockard Channing."
