While trying to be the best father and husband to his family, Will Smith reflected upon his childhood days and shared some horrific details in his mémoire, Will. Suffering traumatizing attacks from his father and facing domestic abuse in the family’s Philadelphia home, Smith recalled the malevolent nature of his father.
According to an excerpt from the book published, Will Smith shared how he had to keep up with his father, for the sake of his mother, until their divorce in 2000. However, amid shedding light upon his father’s negativity, Smith also spoke about Willard Carroll Smith Sr’s business mindset.
Will Smith Discussed His Father’s Hustle
After unfortunately losing his father, Willard Carroll Smith Sr, in 2016, Will Smith shed light upon his father’s business mindset, through his mémoire, Will. While reflecting upon the traumatic childhood experiences that his father put him through, the Oscar-winning actor opened up about Smith Sr’s hustle for his family.
“The North Philly entrepreneur in Daddio was alive and well.” Smith began narrating. Discussing how his father was good with repairing, installing, and maintaining electronics items, the actor recalled his father expanding the business with his talent. Expanding beyond Philadelphia, into the surrounding suburbs, Smith Sr. built a fleet of trucks and even hired people for his business.
“Daddio was always hustling. I remember one particularly frigid winter, cash got tight, so he taught himself how to repair kerosene heaters”.
Recalling a particular winter from his childhood, Smith discussed how his father used his brilliant mind to keep his family warm while earning money. “He put up a bunch of flyers, and people started bringing him their broken heaters.” the actor discussed. He further added the masterplan,
“Daddio figured out that once he’d fixed a heater…he’d had ten or twelve kerosene heaters ‘being tested for the quality of his work’”.
Well, that’s how Willard Carroll Smith Sr used his business mindset to “keep his family warm and toasty for the winter, and got paid for it.”
Will Smith Recalled His Traumatic Childhood
Although his father’s entrepreneurship mixed with survival instinct kept his family going even during the worst winters, Will Smith couldn’t help but recall the negativity surrounding Willard Carroll Smith Sr. Discussing how his father caused him to experience a traumatic childhood, the actor went completely transparent in his mémoire.
Admitting about his personal life’s struggles, Will Smith recounted domestic abuse in his book Will. “When I was nine years old, I watched my father punch my mother in the side of the head so hard that she collapsed. I saw her spit blood.” Smith wrote. He further added, how that one domestic abuse incident lingered on in their house for long, until his parents’ divorce in 2000.
Taking the blame upon himself for failing to stand up to his father while his mother was being abused, Will Smith confessed, dedicating “a subtle string of apologies to my mother for my inaction that day”, through awards and accolades. Giving a deep analysis of his survival technique Smith mentioned,
“I wanted to please and placate him because as long as Daddio was laughing and smiling, I believed we would be safe.”
However, eventually, things became fine after his parent’s divorce. Will Smith gradually overcame his trauma, through his fulfilling family life with Jada Pinkett Smith and their kids.
Source: Will
