His candid memoir that details family drama and his regrets as a father has just hit the shelves.
And Will Smith looked overjoyed as he greeted crowds of adoring fans outside Harriett’s Bookshop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on his book tour on Monday.
The King Richard actor, 53, grinned from ear to ear at the warm welcome as he signed autographs and snapped selfies with the excited throng.
Star: Will Smith looked overjoyed as he greeted crowds of adoring fans outside Harriett’s Bookshop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on his book tour on Monday
Will beamed as he fist bumped his committed followers who had waited outside the bookshop for him to arrive.
The much-loved actor cut an effortlessly cool figure in an all tan outfit as he signed sports jerseys and chatted to the crowd with a large grin on his face.
He paired a suede trench coat with a matching roll neck and completed the sharp ensemble with a pair of tailored brown trousers.
Will made time for everyone as he reached to the back of the crowd to high five his fans that were further back.
Over the moon: The King Richard actor, 53, grinned from ear to ear at the warm welcome as he signed autographs and snapped selfies with the excited throng
Will looked over the moon to spend time with his fans as he smiled for selfies amongst the swarm of people.
The star’s memoir – Will – recalls how devastated his son Jaden, now 23, was after the critical and commercial failure of their 2013 film After Earth.
In an excerpt shared with People, the actor wrote: ‘After Earth was an abysmal box office and critical failure… And what was worse was that Jaden took the hit.’
Loving it: Will beamed as he fist bumped his committed followers who had waited outside the bookshop for him to arrive
‘Fans and the press were absolutely vicious; they said and printed things about Jaden that I refuse to repeat. Jaden had faithfully done everything that I’d instructed him to do, and I had coached him into the worst public mauling he’d ever experienced.
The Pursuit of Happiness actor was heartbroken when Jaden, who was 15-year-old at the time of After Earth’s release, told him he wanted to be emancipated.
‘We never discussed it, but I know he felt betrayed. He felt misled, and he lost his trust in my leadership,” Smith said. ‘At fifteen years old, when Jaden asked about being an emancipated minor, my heart shattered. He ultimately decided against it, but it sucks to feel like you’ve hurt your kids.’
Here you go! The much-loved actor cut an effortlessly cool figure in an all tan outfit as he signed sports jerseys and chatted to the crowd with a large grin on his face
Just as he wrote about lessons he learned when it came to Jaden’s career, he also wrote about the knowledge he gained when it came to his daughter Willow, now 21.
Following the release of her hit song Whip My Hair in 2010, Willow signed up for a month-long tour opening for Justin Bieber. However, she wasn’t enjoying the tour and told her dad she wanted to stop at the end of the European leg of the trip.
Smith reminded her that she had upcoming tour dates in Australia and therefore couldn’t stop touring. His daughter took drastic measures.
Dapper: He paired a suede trench coat with a matching roll neck and completed the sharp ensemble with a pair of tailored brown trousers
‘Willow came skipping into the kitchen for breakfast. “Good morning, Daddy,” Willow said joyfully, as she bounced to the refrigerator,’ Smith recalls in his new book.
‘My jaw nearly dislocated, dislodged, and shattered on the kitchen floor: My world-dominating, hair-whipping, future global superstar was totally bald. During the night, Willow had shaved her entire head.
‘My mind raced and scrambled — how was she going to whip her hair if she didn’t have any? Who the hell wants to pay to watch some kid whip their head back and forth?’
Up top: Will made time for everyone as he reached to the back of the crowd to high five his fans that were further back
‘But before I could respond, I felt something slowly turning, shifting, until it clicked into place: In a moment of divine connection and revelation, she had reached me. I leaned down, peered deeply into her eyes, and said, “I got it. I am so sorry. I see you.”‘
Will’s memoir will take readers through his relationship with all three of his children: 29-year-old Trey, 23-year-old Jaden and 21-year-old Willow.
He will also detail his marriages to Sheree Zampino, with whom he shares Trey, and Jada Pinkett Smith, the actress and mother of Jaden and Willow, both the good and the bad of all of his relationships.
Hey! Will looked over the moon to spend time with his fans as he smiled for selfies amongst the swarm of people
All about the family: Smith’s book will talk about all three of his kids and give the audience a look at both of his marriages (pictured 2016)