Will Smith’s Dream for Willow Smith as Child Star Altered by $133M Movie Refusal
2011 saw the powerhouse pairing of Jay-Z and Will Smith collaborate to reimagine the cherished Annie from the Broadway stage. The project originally had the bright young Willow Smith poised to take on the lead role.
It was inspired by Harold Gray’s famous comic strip, “Little Orphan Annie.” ‘Whip My Hair,’ Willow’s debut single, reached an astonishing 11th position on the Billboard Hot 100 list when it was released when she was just 10 years old, solidifying Willow’s reputation.
The search for a director and screenwriter for the Annie adaptation, however, was delayed. By the time Will Gluck and Aline Brosh McKenna joined the project, Willow Smith was 12 years old and her interests had changed, diverging from a future as an actor.
The accomplished actor expressed his accomplished daughter’s change of heart during an honest discussion on “Real Talk with Sister Souljah and Will Smith” at Temple University.
“Willow was supposed to be doing Annie, we got Jay-Z to do the movie, got the studio to come in and Willow had such a difficult time on tour with Whip My Hair and she said, ‘You know Daddy, I don’t think so,’ and I said, ‘Baby, hold up!’ I said, ‘No, no, no, listen, you’ll be in New York with all of your friends and Beyoncé will be there. You will be singing and dancing,’ and she looked at me and said, ‘Daddy, I have a better idea, how about I just be 12.’”
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Will Smith freely admitted that he initially found it difficult to understand his child’s emotional requirements. He unintentionally missed Willow Smith’s sincere wish to cherish her childhood in his attempt to persuade her to accept the movie part.
The accomplished King Richard actor realized that focusing just on material or financial rewards could prevent you from appreciating other equally important areas of life. It was a turning point in his career.
The star was open and honest in his admission that, for a split second, he temporarily forgot that he was doing this movie for his daughter out of pure love rather than being motivated by selfish goals. The actor who played Men in Black made this touching admission.
“I’m really learning through Willow the necessity that we have to snap ourselves back and refocus on the emotional needs of the people that we love. Someone’s emotional needs can be very, very different from your dreams and what you think they should be doing and where they are supposed to be.”
Will Smith’s Dream for Willow Smith as Child Star Altered by $133M Movie Refusal first appeared in autulu
