Page 83 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Golf and Back to Men in Black
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heavyweight title, but Ali still did not back down. Eventually,
the Supreme Court ruled in Ali’s favor, and he regained his
license and his title.
Tall and lanky by nature, Smith does not naturally have
the solid build of a professional boxer. To try to resemble Ali
as much as possible, Smith took on a rigorous workout
schedule with a professional trainer for twelve months. “We
would run at 6 a.m., three to five miles, depending on the day,”
said Smith. “We’d go to the gym from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
and do technical boxing training, jumping rope, and sparring.
And in the evenings we’d do weight training. That was five or
six days a week for a year, so your body will definitely come
into shape with that kind of regimen.”3
The hard work combined with Smith’s natural talent paid off.
The movie was a success, and Smith received a nomination for
an Academy Award for best lead actor in a movie. It was payback
for the Razzie award earned by Wild, Wild West. Although the
Oscar for best actor in 2002 went to Denzel Washington, being
nominated for this role was an honor for Smith. It proved that he
was being taken seriously by others in the movie industry.
In 2002 Smith released another solo album, Born to
Reign, which included songs about his wife and children. In
one number, he confesses that his daughter, Willow, has him
wrapped around her finger. The album also explores musical
styles that are different from old-school hip-hop. One song
is Latin-flavored; another has a reggae influence. Even
though he had hit the big time as a movie star, Smith said in
2002, “I really do still consider myself a rapper first.”4