Will Smith became a star and a fan favorite among many people when he became the lead actor in the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
From there, his popularity only grew in the early 2000s after he took on the film industry by playing the lead in movies like the “Men in Black” franchise, the “Bad Boys” franchise, “Pursuit of Happyness,” “Seven Pounds” and several other productions. Now that Smith has accomplished cementing his name in the entertainment realm as a star, the father of three says he has other goals that he would like to reach as an actor and producer.
On Jan. 20, he spoke with “Entertainment Tonight,” saying, “There was a time in my life, where I was concerned with being a movie star and that concern has moved on.” He continued, “I want to make stories that make me smile, I want to tell stories that make me cry and I want to tell stories about the triumph of the human spirit.”
Smith won his first Golden Globe earlier this month for Best Actor, after starring as Richard Williams in the biopic film “King Richard.” He’s also credited as the producer of the new ABC series “Women of the Movement.” The first season tells the real story of Mamie Till- Mobley getting justice for her son Emmett Till after he was tragically killed in Mississippi in 1955, by white supremacists.
“I want to create things that have some contributing value to the human family,” said Smith.
Smith had a recorded discussion with Jay-Z, who is the producer of “Women of the Movement,” and executive producer Marissa Jo Cerar to talk about the project. During the 26 minute conversation, they spoke about the power behind Mobley’s decision to keep her 14-year-old son’s casket open so people can witness how his killers disfigured him.
“The idea of no closed casket. Like there’s a big idea in that concept of no hiding from the reality of what we are and what we do to each other. It’s like the concept of an open casket is a deep idea.” He explained the idea saying, “ ‘We’re not going to hide from what this is for real. And we’re going to let everybody see it and then we have to decide do we want to be this.’ That kind of wisdom is just an innate wisdom that she had. That was really beautiful to watch and beautifully performed also.”
“Women of the Movement” premiered on ABC-TV on Jan. 6.
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