During an interaction with young fans and budding filmmakers at the Red Sea Film Festival Saturday, acclaimed actor Will Smith shared his thoughts on the dangers of fame.
His attendance at the film festival marked one of his first public speaking appearances since the controversial 2022 Academy Awards incident, per Deadline. While Smith did not explicitly address the infamous slap of Chris Rock, his reflections seemed to resonate with his recent experiences.
Discussing the challenges of fame, Smith shared his perspective. “Fame is a unique monster and I’ve had to be really careful. You can’t get excited when everybody is saying good things about you,” Smith said, per Deadline. “The more you take when people are saying good things about you, the more hurt you’re going to be when people are saying bad things about you.” (RELATED: Behind-The-Scenes Video Of Will Smith And Martin Lawrence’s ‘Bad Boys 4’ Has Emerged)
Will Smith on fickle nature of fame: “Fame is a unique monster and I’ve had to be really careful. You can’t get excited when everybody is saying good things about you because the more you take when people are saying good things, the more hurt you’re going to be when people are… pic.twitter.com/fHCfpIR7xd
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) December 2, 2023
“What I’ve experienced in my adversities of the last couple of years is that I have to be clear about who I am and what I am attempting to do in the world, and I can’t need others to applaud for me to stay focused on my mission,” the actor further added.
Smith’s current endeavors extend beyond acting. With projects like “I Am Legend 2″ and “Bad Boys 4” in various stages of production, he also revealed a deeper aspiration: to mentor the next generation of filmmakers. He admitted that he has a keen interest in teaching, Deadline reported.
“Right now, the thing I’m interested in is the transfer of knowledge. I really want to teach. I really want to teach filmmaking. I want to work with people in big movies,” Smith revealed.