Jurnee Smollett sparks reactions with unexpected confession

Jurnee Smollett, iconic star who is best known for her early rise to fame as a child actress, shared that she wanted her son Hunter to find his own passions in life.

The actress, 38, explained that she had no desire to push her son into the entertainment world too soon. 

Speaking to People, she said, “I don't know that I would let him audition when he was young or do the whole hustle. I think I'd encourage him to study it, take classes and workshops.”

She added that her focus was to give her son the chance to explore different interests. “But my goal is to expose him to as many different fields and see what sticks. 

He plays basketball and baseball, loves sports. He's excelling at math. I mean, he can do math way higher than his grade level and loves science, so he's always making science experiments around the house with some baking soda and vinegar and different ingredients.”

Jurnee admitted that it made sense for Hunter to be curious about acting but said she wanted him to have “options” for the future.

 “I think it's natural if he's around mommy telling stories that there's a good chance he'll want to go into it, but I also want him to have options," she added.

Having experienced fame as a child herself, she shared that Hunter already showed a keen interest in her work. 

The actress then said, “He love it. I was just recording something yesterday, and he was with me. And he was just hanging out and everyone was so impressed that he was able to be quiet, and he said to them, ‘I grew up on sets.’ And it's true.”

Jurnee said Hunter now watched the monitor on set, asked writers what would happen next and even came home knowing plot twists she had not heard herself.