Will Smith Graces The Cover Of GQ's November Issue

Will Smith is the face of GQ’s November issue and is re-introducing himself via his upcoming memoir and films.

Source: Renell Medrano / GQ[/caption]

Will Smith has been one of the best entertainers since before half of us were born. Will, in a lot of ways, is the first of his kind to be multi-talented and not confined to the limitations of his main talent. He has lived several lifetimes in front of our eyes as we’ve watched will grow from boy to man, to father, to OG without any major missteps.

For the November issue of GQ, Will is covering the magazine and reintroducing himself as he enters his 50s and getting ready to release his upcoming memoir. Of course, Will talks about his upcoming projects, including Emancipation, a movie that finally tells the story of “Whipped Peter,” the African-American man whose tattered back is depicted in one of the most famous of an enslaved American ever.

“I’ve always avoided making films about slavery,” Smith says. “In the early part of my career… I didn’t want to show Black people in that light. I wanted to be a superhero. So I wanted to depict Black excellence alongside my white counterparts. I wanted to play roles that you would give to Tom Cruise.”

Will revealed while he was shopping the movie around, the death of George Floyd happened, which we all saw the response to in real-time.

“The entire world was in lockdown, watched what happened to George Floyd, and stood up with one voice and said, We see it. We agree,” Smith says. “I’ve been trying to get movies made for a long time. And the amount of money that Apple is paying to tell the story [of Emancipation] is unprecedented.

Smith also spoke about another upcoming project, where he will be playing the father of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard. Portraying Richard Williams puts Will in his sweet spot, telling a story of triumph over adversity.

“Richard Williams is a lot like my father,” Smith explains. “So when I first read [the script], I understood what it’s like to want your kids to succeed. I had done it a little bit with my kids. I understood what it was to try to mold a young mind, how it’s different with sons than it is with daughters.”

Also in the GQ story, Will opens up about the vulnerability in writing his upcoming memoir set to drop in November, titled Will. As with most memoirs, it’s an uncomfortable deep dive into what makes you who you are and the people you’ve encountered along the way. Will recalls reading everything he wrote about different people to them, in person, so they know what’s coming.

“I read everybody everything I was saying about them,” Smith says. “I had to get 25 people to come to Miami and hear what I’m saying, because I know people are going to have to live with it forever.”

Will’s memoir doesn’t seem to be a happy or inspirational book, but a journey on having everything and still trying to find happiness. Will states the rest of his career will be focused on telling stories that help people find their happiness.

You can read this and more from Will in the GQ November issue.

Source: Renell Medrano / GQ