Now, this is a story all about how
A movie star decided to write all his memories down.
If you’d like to take a minute,
Just sit right there,
We’ll tell you how to read the book from the Prince of Bel-Air.
Let’s hope Will Smith‘s prose is a little more advanced than that when the Men in Black star releases his memoir, simply titled Will.
The two-time Academy Award nominee took to Instagram to share the title and cover of his upcoming autobiography, which he revealed he has been working on for two years.
The tome, which Smith describes as a “labour of love”, will detail Smith’s personal and professional journey — starting with his childhood in West Philadelphia, to finding mainstream success through music and acting and his roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and blockbuster films such as Hitch, Men in Black, I Am Legend and Ali.
Speaking about his passion project in a statement, Smith said, “It’s easy to maneuver the material world once you have conquered your own mind. I believe that. Once you’ve learned the terrain of your own mind, every experience, every emotion, every circumstance, whether positive or negative, simply propels you forward, to greater growth and greater experience.
“That is true will. To move forward in spite of anything. And to move forward in a way that brings others with you, rather than leave them behind.”
The Pursuit of Happyness star first teased that he would be writing an account of his life back in 2018 when he shared on social media that he had “years and years of stuff I’ve been wanting to say and I’m finally gonna write a book.” He also joked that he planned on meeting with five publishers and would go with the “highest bidder.”
He may have been joking about that last part, but Penguin Press obviously did something right, as the Penguin Random House imprint will have the honour of publishing his work.
Describing the memoir as “the product of a profound journey of self-knowledge, a reckoning with all that your will can get you and all that it can leave behind,” Penguin Press said in a statement, “In Will, one of the most dynamic and globally-recognised entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, tracing his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned.”
The statement continued, “Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.”
While we know that the book will definitely cover his professional achievements, we can’t help but be curious as to how much (if any) detail the actor will go into about his 24-year marriage with Jada Pinkett Smith. The couple famously separated briefly a few years back during which Pinkett Smith found herself in an “entanglement” with singer August Alsina. However, the pair reunited and went on to discuss the ups and downs of their marriage on Red Table Talk which Pinkett Smith hosts with her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and daughter, Willow.
Will will be released on November 9, 2021.
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