HOLLYWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 10: Actor Will Smith attends the Centerpiece Gala Premiere of Columbia Pictures' "Concussion" during AFI FEST 2015 presented by Audi at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 10, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI)
Will Smith was just 22 years old when ‘Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’ became a household name. Smith is now 55 and has over 30 years of Hollywood success on his resume. He’s earned millions from his acting chops, and he’s — hopefully— getting ready to do so again with ‘Bad Boys: Ride Or Die.’
While on the film’s press tour, Will opened up about what it’s like to find happiness again after reaching all his dreams while appearing on the ‘Full Send Podcast.’ Opposite to “rock bottom” is what he calls the “cliff top.”
“There’s no more sex that’s going to be anything but a lateral move. There’s no more money. There’s, you know, no more success, and it’s a f*****g abyss,” Will Smith shared on the ‘Full Send’ podcast.
Folks often reach that “cliff top” after doing “everything they want to do.” In a sense, they “exhaust the joys of this world.” When that happens, the hardships begin.
“Just exhaust the joys of this world, and you’re going to have a really, really hard night one night, and you’re going to be laying there by yourself, and nothing is going to f*****g mean anything to you,” he said.
So, how does one bounce back from reaching the cliff top and its abyss?
Will says it first takes reaching the top and recognizing any lingering unhappiness. After that, a person must realize that the universe “wasn’t created for you to run out of things.” Once a person accepts that notion, then the real inner work begins, he added.
“…You realize that the final frontier is getting your inner house in order, right? With no women, no drugs, with no money, with nothing, can you cultivate a joyful spirit just with you and you,” Will shared.
He called that reverse internal work “excruciating.” It also involves a detoxing process. During that process, Will Smith claimed that a person might realize that the same monster preventing them from being happy is the same one that aided them in climbing to their dreams.
“All of that craving, all of that scratching, all of that clawing… and then you’ve got to just make peace with that, dude. And you realize that ecstasy isn’t happiness, peace is happiness, balance,” Will said.
Though inner work is a solo process, Smith also keeps a couple of ride-or-die at his side for such moments. To the surprise of no one, his wife of 25+ years, Jada Pinkett Smith, is likely number one on the list. He told Entertainment Tonight last month that Jada is “one of the most gangsta ride-or-dies [he’s] ever had.”
Also on his list are his former rap collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff and former ‘Bel-Air’ co-star Alfonso Ribeiro. Alfonso recently shared how the 90s show “ended” his acting career and sparked heavy internet chatter after seemingly dissing Tyler Perry.
Meanwhile, Smith’s ‘Bad Boys 4’ co-star and longtime friend, Martin Lawrence, also recently shared some personal insight. The ‘Martin’ superstar assured fans of his in-tact health amid rumors of illness.
Martin also shared a lil’ unknown Hollywood secret: He almost starred alongside Jackie Chan in ‘Rush Hour.’ But what happened? He turned down the gig for one reason…
It looks like that wasn’t an issue with the ‘Bad Boys’ franchise, though, as their fourth film is set to hit theaters on June 7!
