Will Smith regrets not protecting mother against abusive father

American actor Will Smith confessed not being able to stand up for his mother was the defining point in his life.

The star whose memoir titled 'Will' released last Tuesday, is talking about the time his father beat his mother to the point she started to spit blood. 

In an excerpt of the book published in the Sunday Times, Will wrote:

"When I was nine years old, I watched my father punch my mother in the side of the head so hard that she collapsed. I saw her spit blood."

"Within everything that I have done since then — the awards and accolades, the spotlights and the attention, the characters and the laughs — there has been a subtle string of apologies to my mother for my inaction that day," Smith says.

To this point, the actor says that he feels regret for not standing up to her mother and "for failing her in that moment."

To prevent anything like that from happening again, Will's response was to be 'funny.'

"I decided to be funny. I wanted to please and placate him because as long as Daddio was laughing and smiling, I believed we would be safe. I was the entertainer in the family. I wanted to keep everything light and fun and joyful," said the star.