Issue date: Nov. 20-22, 1998

Where there's a Will
there's a way

"Families are like a business," according to husband, dad and star of this week's "Enemy of the State" -- Will Smith. "The key is one person having a vision."

In this article:
His dad, Air Force veteran
On his secret to a strong family, Catholic vs. public school, being black in Hollywood
On violent rap, role models, God
Will's credits: movies, music, TV

Interview By Gayle Jo Carter

ill Smith, though taller (at 6 feet 2 inches) and more muscular than the movie screen lets on, is exactly who millions of moviegoers, record buyers and TV watchers think he is - funny, charming, thoughtful and unguarded. You can't help but get a burst of energy just being near him.

This week, Smith, 30, who made his mark in the back-to-back mega-grossing summer action flicks Independence Day and Men in Black, takes on a more serious role and new challenge: opening his spy thriller Enemy of the State in the competitive holiday season.

As the sun sets, I meet Smith at his home in suburban L.A. - complete with a kidney-shaped pool, small recording studio and par-3 golf hole. His wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, is packing up the gear needed for their 5-month-old son, Jaden, and Trey, Smith's 5-year-old son from his first marriage. Smith is shooting at night for his next movie, Wild Wild West, and they'll all head to the set and have dinner together before the kids' bedtime.

We talk about his newfound fame as a movie star - but what really gets him excited is talking about his Philadelphia roots, his family, his work ethic and much more. Excerpts from the conversation:

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What he learned from his Air Force veteran dad: "A military type of structure and discipline. It's difficult to be successful without structure and discipline. ... You have to put that concept into anything you do, any type of relationship you want to be successful in.

"I focus on my relationship with Jada like a soldier. You've got to work at it. When we're together, I'm her mate, I'm her security guard, I'm her cook. I'm everything. I get turned on by working 16 hours, then completely drained coming in the house and taking the baby for an hour from her; that makes me feel strong. You have to focus on everything in your life with that type of military intensity."

"I feel like I could be the president of the United States. I really do."

His father's greatest object lesson: "My parents planned 'strategic wins' for all the children - things that looked impossible that we were forced to do. My father is one of these guys who would do everything himself. He wouldn't call a plumber, wouldn't call a ... you'd say, 'Oh, Dad, I got a toothache.' He'd say, 'Oh, boy, go out to the truck and get my toolbox.'

"He owned his own business: refrigeration and electrician. One year, he tore the [decaying brick] front off the building, and my brother and I actually had to mix concrete by hand, then lay the bricks one at a time. The wall was probably 50 feet wide and 16 feet high. We thought it was impossible. ... I remember the day it was finished. We stood there and my father said, 'Don't you ever tell me there's something you can't do.' In my mind, it was instilled anything that you ever want to do, you do it one brick at a time. You can't not finish."

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The secret to a strong family: "Families are like a business, and the key is one person having a vision of what it needs to be and being able to pull everyone together and make it work. It was always my mom, and my grandmom before her. ...

"Women are actually in charge of everything. The game of chess is the perfect example: where the king is kind of the figurehead but the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. Life is not unlike that."

On Catholic school vs. public school: "I went to Catholic school for nine years and public school for three years, and that was the greatest education I could have had. I went to school with all white people for nine years and then all black people for three years. ... Comedically, that helped me, because I have a great understanding of what black people think is funny and what white people think is funny. I'm able to find what I like to refer to as the No. 1 answer. The joke that everyone thinks is hilarious, the record everyone thinks is moving, or a great dance record - walking that line where it's very specific to everyone, but universal at the same time."

On being black in Hollywood: "It's not any more of a hindrance than it is doing anything else. Racism is an unfortunate part of American culture. It's something you don't accept but something you know is going to exist. I don't have any fear for it.

"I'm a firm believer that the smartest person wins. When I sit in meetings in Hollywood dealing with directors, producers, executives, they need me. Even before they knew they needed me, I knew they needed me. You will never hear me say some white man owes me something because of slavery. I'm not giving that kind of credit."

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On violent rap: "People are responsible for their own actions. There was a case [in Texas] where the kid was trying to say a Tupac [Shakur] record made him shoot a police officer. That is the most ridiculous assertion I've ever heard in my life. A record can't make you do anything. I can relate to the emotion. I remember being young and coming out of a Bruce Lee movie and being hyped. We're jumping around and kicking each other, but a Bruce Lee movie can't make me get into a fight. We, as individuals, have to take responsibilities for our actions."

On his first role model: "The first person I looked up to, admired and said 'I want to be like that person' was Julius Erving. I remember making note of how well he expressed himself when someone put the camera or microphone in front of him ... calm and poised. He always had something interesting to say, and he said it well. I remember thinking, 'I want to speak that way.' "

On his belief in God: "I don't believe in God anthropomorphically. I don't believe God gets angry and zaps someone. ... I believe in the power of a higher being, that we can find our way into good graces or not. I believe positive energy begets positive energy, negative energy begets negative energy. Less of punishment and reward, and more of attraction of what you project."

On what scares him: "I'm afraid of everything. ... I'm most afraid of being afraid - that's the one little twist on my personality. I'm the guy, when I was growing up, who couldn't stand being around a guy I thought could beat me in a fight. I had to fight him. Let's just fight and get it over with."

What's his dream role? "Muhammad Ali. Actually, the script just came in and we're reading it. I feel like: Muhammad Ali - there's the story I'm tailor-made for."

Will Smith, president? "I feel like I could be the president of the United States. I really do. ... Education has to be the priority. Every other problem we have is based on a lack of education in whatever field. It is not as instant a solution as pouring more money into it, but I feel the greatness of any society is based upon the depth of the scholars. ...

"That's the ultimate rule: The smartest guy wins."

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Multimedia Will

... Co-stars this weekend in Enemy of the State ... Makes at least $12 million per movie ... Hit the big time with Independence Day, 1996's top movie at $306 million, and Men in Black, one of '97's top flicks at $250 million ... Got his action start co-starring with Martin Lawrence in the surprise hit Bad Boys ... Just wrapped Wild Wild West for next summer; co-wrote with wife Jada Love for Hire, a romantic comedy in which he'll star.

MUSIC

... Topping the charts is his Big Willie Style, featuring the hits Gettin' Jiggy Wit It and Just the Two of Us, a convincing show of love for son Trey ... Began at 12 as the latter half of the "positive" rap duo D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince ... Picked up a Grammy and was a millionaire at 20 (by 21, he'd spent most of it) ... Has since won two more Grammys, including one this year for best solo rap performance (Men in Black).

TV

... Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, 1990-96.