I, Will

Before Will Smith, 36, was famous, his friends called him „Prince“. Today Will is a king – in the world of show business. He has sold more than 25 million rap CDs and won four Grammy Awards. He has been the star of hit films like the Men in Black films, Independence Day and this year`s I, Robot and Shark Tale. And in 2002 he was nominated for an Oscar for his role as star boxer Muhammad Ali in Ali.

Will’s talents have helped him to become rich and famous. But it was his great personality that won him the nickname “Prince”. And it has been his personality that has helped him to stay on top of the entertainment world for more than 15 years. He says, “I’ve always believed that it’s better to die for your dreams than to live a comfortable life. I always knew I could go home and work in my dad’s business. But I wanted to be in show business. So I kept fighting.”

Will started fighting for his dreams when he was a teenager in Philadelphia, in the US state of Pennsylvania. At 16, he changed his nickname, “Prince”, to “Fresh Prince” and started a rap band with Jeffrey Townes called DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. In 1988, the band sold three million copies of their second album, He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper, and won the first Grammy ever for a rap group.

But then everything started changing for 21-year-old Will. The band’s third album, And In This Corner, was a flop. He had no money. He was in trouble with the US government because he hadn’t paid his taxes. And his first girlfriend had left him. “I was totally depressed,” Will told the US magazine Parade. “So I went to Los Angeles hoping for a new life with a new love.”

In Los Angeles, Will found everything he wanted. First he got a role playing himself in the hit TV comedy series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1996. Then he started getting roles in successful films like Made in America and Bad Boys. In 1997, he made his first solo album, Big Willie Style, which sold over eight million copies. Will also found love. He married twice in the 1990s and had three children.

Will still looks fantastic. But he doesn’t feel so fantastic. He told The Washington Post newspaper he felt old while working on I, Robot. “I started messing up my knee and back. I needed more takes to do the stunts. And I was thinking, “’Oh my God, it has started.’” Having no money and feeling depressed didn’t stop Will from becoming successful. Getting old probably won’t either! Now he’s working on a new album and planning to act in more serious films. Whatever the future holds for Will, it will surely be fit for a prince.

Spot On, Juli 2005, Seite 8 f.