On Monday, Sept. 27, Will Smith was announced as the cover star for the November issue of GQ and readers got to see an entirely different side of him.
The acclaimed actor and 53-year old is preparing for the release of his memoir, Will, and revealed to the publication that he is ready to speak his truth and show the world his authentic self.
After spending a few days brainstorming ideas for his book on the Cayman Islands with his co-author Mark Manson, the author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F—, Smith told Manson, “I’ve spent my whole career hiding my true self from the world. I want this book to show people who I am.”
Smith’s goal for his memoir is to separate the image of “Will Smith the gigantic movie star” from who he truly is as a person at his core.
A line from his upcoming book reads, “What you have come to understand as ‘Will Smith,’ the alien annihilating M.C., the bigger-than-life movie star, is largely a construction—a carefully crafted and honed character—designed to protect myself.”
Smith admits to seeing himself as a coward for years due to his overwhelming desire to please everyone around him from family members and loved ones to interviewers and fans. He explains that this desire to please is partially rooted in the belief that if he kept everyone smiling, they wouldn’t “lash out with violence at him or the people he loved.”
Described by the actor as a “labor of love,” Will hits bookshelves on Nov. 9 and will be the most candid version of Smith’s life story to date.
