Page 10 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Will Smith
10
From his first days, Willie Jr. was known as a bit of a show-off.
In one of the earliest family videotapes, toddler Willie is seen
hogging the camera. According to his mother, Will could speak
before he could walk. His maternal grandmother, Helen Bright,
recognized Will’s knack for showmanship and cast him in a
variety of religious plays and pageants at the family’s church, the
Resurrection Baptist Church. Throughout his childhood, Will
loved entertaining his family and friends.
When Will was three, his mother gave birth to twins, Harry
and Ellen. The family of four suddenly turned into a family of
six. But even with two more mouths to feed, Will’s parents
made sure their children never lacked anything they needed.
Will was a tall, gangly boy with big ears. Some of the
other kids told him he resembled Alfred E. Newman,
the goofy-looking cartoon mascot of Mad magazine.
One boy joked that Will’s big ears made him look like a car
going down the street with its doors open.
Will drew attention away from his looks by playing the
class clown. When he was not cracking jokes or making up
funny stories, he was doing the typical gross things that boys
enjoy—such as stuffing straws up his nose for a quick laugh.
When Will was being punished at home, he would make
funny faces at Harry and Ellen, making them laugh. Then
the twins would get in trouble, too.
Will Smith Sr., who had been a drill sergeant in the
United States Air Force, drew upon his military background
to instill discipline at home. His family lived by the words
“You get up in the morning prepared to go to work.”1