Will Smith Reveals Thoughts of Killing His Father for Abusing His Mom in New Memoir

Will Smith Willard Caroll Smith Sr. William Sr. Will Smith memoir Will Smith dad Caroline Bright Sheree Zampino Stockard Channing Six Degrees of Separation abuse alcoholism scarred childhood

By Lilian Scott , Parent Herald Nov 07, 07:14 am

Photo: (Photo : Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Environmental Med)

Will Smith has admitted he thought of killing his father, Willard Caroll Smith Sr. because he was abusive towards his mother. The actor opened up about his scarred childhood in his new memoir, "Will," which has a November 9 book release.

In one of the chapters of "Will," the actor wrote that his father was violent because he was an alcoholic. Will said he was nine years old when he saw his father punching his mom, Caroline Bright, so hard on the head, knocking her out. The actor's parents separated during his teens, but his dad remained a presence in his life.

Will wrote that his father was always present and sober when it came to his games, school plays, or recitals. The same was true for Will's Hollywood events when he became a successful movie star.

Shoving Dad Down the Stairs

When William Sr. became sick, his famous son took care of him despite their complicated relationship. He revealed in the book that he thought about shoving his sickly father, who was in a wheelchair, down the stairs.

"A darkness arose within me," the actor revealed. "I paused at the top of the stairs. I could shove him down, and easily get away with it."

Will said that he has always told himself that he would avenge his mother from his father's abuse since he was a child. That dark moment when he thought about killing his father triggered decades of pain, resentment, and anger, which he shook off as he came to his senses.

William Sr. passed away in 2016 after a short battle with cancer. In 2018, the Hollywood superstar said in a "Rap Radar" podcast that his death was like a release from the emotional impact of his father's physical aggression.

However, Will also credited his dad for instilling beautiful qualities that make up a big part of who he is today.

"I loved how my family was," the actor, who has three kids of his own, said. "But there were massive critical deficiencies in my father's parenting that I wanted to correct."

Falling in Love with His Co-Star

Meanwhile, Will also confessed that the two-year marriage to his first wife, Sheree Zampino, the mother of his eldest child, Trey Smith, was affected by his method of acting. He explained that he crossed the danger zone when he didn't break character while shooting "Six Degrees of Separation" with co-star Stockard Channing.

The actor said he fell in love with Channing and yearned to be with her even after finishing the movie project. Although he was back home with his new wife and their new baby, he was still hung up on his co-star.

Will said that he would never do method acting again because it's a dangerous place. Channing, on the other hand, only reacted that she was flattered by this revelation.