Will Smith reflects on 'mistakes' during rare Red Sea festival appearance

Will Smith has been doing some serious soul-searching.

During the Red Sea International Film Festival held Saturday, Smith, 55, admitted to and reflected that he has “made tons of mistakes” vis-à-vis the infamous Oscars slap and his publicly-aired-out marital woes.

“Fame is a unique monster,” Smith philosophised. “You can’t get too excited when people say good things about you because then when people say bad things about you, you struggle and suffer more.”

Though he did not directly reference any specific incident, the I Am Legend star appeared to allude to the incident at the 2021 Oscars where he stormed onto stage and slapped his colleague, Chris Rock, for making a G.I Jane Joke about his “wife,” Jada Pinkett Smith – a move that got him banned from the Academy Awards for a decade.

“What I’ve experienced in my adversities of the last couple of years is that I have to be clear about who I am and what I am attempting to do in the world, and I can’t need others to applaud for me to stay focused on my mission.”

The Fresh Prince’s observation about his public image comes hot on the heels of Jada’s October revelation that Hollywood’s most inspiring couple has actually secretly been living separate lives – not as husband and wife – for at least seven years.