Cancer Makes You Evaluate Things Differently
- Will Smith’s film After Earth bombing at the box office nearly broke him, but his dad’s diagnosis changed his outlook.
- Filming Collateral Beauty, a film on love and loss, allowed Smith and his dad to have open talks about mortality.
- Losing a family member sometimes helps open new emotional doors we didn’t even know were there.
Typically, Smith has been box office gold, starring in massive hits like Men In Black, Hitch, Bad Boys, Aladdin, Ali, and more. But all stars see their share of flops at some point. And Smith's film flop was the 2013 sci-fi movie After Earth. Critics and audiences alike did not care for it. In an interview with Esquire magazine, Smith called the flop, "The most painful failure in my career."
Smith Learns of His Dad's Cancer
Read More"And that Monday started the new phase of my life, a new concept: Only love is going to fill that hole," the actor shared. "You can't win enough, you can't have enough money, you can't succeed enough. There is not enough. The only thing that will ever satiate that existential thirst is love."
Working Helped Him Cope with His Father's Death
Like his son, Smith Sr. had a fierce work ethic. He joined the Air Force when he was sixteen-years-old, the vet says in a video Smith shared on Facebook, in which Smith writes about missing his dad.
Smith was filming Collateral Beauty when his father passed. And despite his revelation about the importance of love and relationships, he also credits work and his work ethic with helping him through the difficult time of loss.
In the film, the character is coping with the loss of his daughter. “I could not believe that this was the film I was working on, and I was forced to face my father’s mortality," told Smith to Entertainment Tonight.
Despite being given only six months to live, Willard lived for four months. It's clear Willard had his son's sense of humor, too. Smith remembers his dad saying, "Man, this sh*t is embarrassing… you tell everyone you gonna be dead in six weeks, three months later you still hanging around.”
Smith recounts how they had meaningful, "open and powerful" conversations together in his dad's last days. The actor credits the film he was working on, Collateral Beauty which focuses on themes of love and loss with helping him get to that place of speaking openly when faced with his father's mortality.
His father passed away on November 7, 2016.
Honoring His Legacy
In speaking out on reevaluating his priorities after his dad's cancer diagnosis, Will Smith has been a role model for those who have family members with cancer.
Last year, near the 3-year anniversary of his late father's death, Will Smith posted a video of his dad on Facebook, honoring his dad who was a veteran as well as wishing other vets a happy Veteran's Day. Smith wrote:
My father died 3 years ago and there's not a day of my life that goes by that I don't recall some aspect of his teaching and training. And a big part of it was rooted in the time he spent in the @USAirForce. To all the veterans out there, happy Veterans Day. We appreciate you!
https://www.facebook.com/92304305160/videos/my-father-died-3-years-ago-and-theres-not-a-day-of-my-life-that-goes-by-that-i-d/445328036125190/
Losing Someone Close to You
When you lose someone close to you after a cancer diagnosis, life can feel turned upside down. But there are options for coping, including things like therapy and support groups. Moving through life after losing a loved one to cancer is never easy. But with people like Smith, who show us the light through a dark time, it can be navigated, and grief can be managed.
"Therapy Saved My Life": After Losing A Loved One, Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help
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