AceShowbiz - Will Smith got candid about his past financial trouble. During his appearance at the Savoy Theatre in London to promote his autobiography "Will", the "Aladdin" actor shared that he once was forced to borrow $10,000 from a drug dealer friend after going broke from tax debt.

"I'm not sure what the Government is like with taxes in the U.K., but in the U.S., they take it seriously," Will spoke with actor Idris Elba on November 18. "So Uncle Sam wanted his money ... I didn't forget, I just didn't pay."

The "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" alum went on to say that he "had to sell everything," adding, "I knew whatever my new life was going to be, I could feel it was going to be in Los Angeles."

His situation forced him to borrow some money from a drug dealer. "So I borrowed $10,000 from a friend of mine who was a purveyor of neighborhood pharmaceuticals," he recalled. Idris then jokingly responded, "Was his name Stringer Bell?" referring to his character on HBO's "The Wire".

At the time, Will almost declared bankruptcy, but thankfully he got the lead role on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" after moving to Los Angeles. According to "Will Smith: A Biography", the IRS garnished 70 percent of his salary over the first three seasons of the show.

Will concluded the night by performing a medley of his hits alongside frequent collaborator Jazzy Jeff. They performed "Brand New Funk", "Switch", "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "Summertime".

The "King Richard" actor kicked off his five-date book tour to promote "Will" on November 8. The tour for the book, which was released on November 9, started in his hometown of Philadelphia before he made stops in Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles and London.