Will Smith Speaks On Growing Up, Says 'Suffering' Shaped Him Into Person He Is Today

Will Smith has one of the most thriving careers in Hollywood. For decades, he has dominated the movie space and is nowhere near his retirement. The star is an avid social media user but has only ever opened up about his childhood during interviews with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and his 2021 memoir.

Smith has shown that he feels more comfortable sharing details about his life. He had another interview with the American TV personality Gayle King, where he spilled more of his memories and feelings from his childhood.

The interview will air on CBS 'Sunday Morning', and in a teaser video, Smith was seen thanking God "for [his] suffering" and saying, "My suffering helped me to become who I am."

Please keep reading to find what more he had to say.

The 53-year-old star specifically opened up about the details of his relationship with his parents while growing up. Smith recalled that his childhood wasn't as great as things are for him at the moment because there were horrifying experiences he wished he had the power to avoid.

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He noted that becoming the man he is now "hasn't been an easy experience." He revealed to fans that he had seen his father beat his mom several times. When he was nine years old, he saw him hit her and felt terrible about doing nothing to stop him and keep her safe.

In the memoir, "Will," he wrote about the time his dad punched his mom in the head. It was so hard that it caused her to spit blood and collapse. "That moment in that bedroom, probably more than any other moment in my life, has defined who I am," Smith said.

King then asked Smith if he believed he could have changed anything since he was only a child. He disagreed with her take and said, "You know, the child mind doesn't work like that," "I expected to be a superhero," he continued. While his father was a violent person, he wasn't all-around terrible.

While he noted the negative sides of his father, Smith didn't forget to include how dedicated he was to him. He noted that his father was great at his duties and sacrificed a lot for him. Also, his constant availability was something he admired about him.

"He was also at every game, play, and recital," he said, "He was an alcoholic, but he was sober at every premiere of every one of my movies," Smith recalled. He also noted that his father paid attention to his music and "listened to every record."

He explained that even though his father was a perfectionist and did hurtful things, his hard work and sacrifices "put food on the table every night of [his] life," and he was grateful for that.

Not only did Smith blame himself for not protecting his mother from the physical abuse, but he also took the blame for his parents' decision to get a divorce. He told King that he remembered believing he was the cause of the break-up, which made him want to kill himself, even as a child.

He admitted that "And it was, that was the only time in my life that I considered suicide. And, you know, it … it just was, it was my fault. You know," he said, "I don't know how kids do that … in their mind, but you know, it was somehow my fault."

Smith was only able to get over the feeling when his father passed on in 2016. He explained. "And, you know, in that, in those last moments with my father, when I was able to forgive my father, I had a shocking realization that I was able to forgive myself."

He also said that his father's death started a fresh chapter in his life. "My suffering helped me to build the life and the family and helped me to find the truth that I base my life on today," he said. Fans can only hope that things get better for him from here on.