“I stopped working for a year and a half”: Will Smith Recalls Biggest Career Fumble and it’s Not the Chris Rock Oscars Slap

Speaking unfiltered about the $243.8 million disaster flick, Will Smith described it as the most excruciating “failure”!

Remember the disappointment that Will Smith and M. Night Shyamalan experienced after the release of After Earth? With a bleak 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film, which is set against a post-apocalyptic backdrop, garnered very negative reviews from critics. Nevertheless, aside from the science fiction aspects, the film mostly showcased a touching father-son dynamic, with the actors’ real son, Jaden Smith, playing his son in the film.

The 2013 film and its ‘failure’ were something that hurt the Academy Award-winning actor even more than his ‘2022 Chris Rock Oscar’ Slap incident’. Although Smith has starred in many movies that have been cherished for generations, After Earth does not seem to be one of them. He claimed that when this film failed to live up to the hype, it affected him deeply, calling it the most “painful failure in my career”.

Jaden Smith and Will Smith in After Earth

Will Smith’s ‘Painful Failure’ is Not the Chris Rock Oscars Slap

Remember that slap incident from the 94th Academy Awards in 2022? We bet you will not forget about it for the next few years. Will Smith stormed onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face as he was presenting the Best Documentary Feature award. The joke that the latter made about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head prompted the slap. Although it appears to be a terrible event in his life, the father of three did not see it as a painful failure.

Smith was conscious of the terrible events that befell After Earth. The post-apocalyptic film, which starred the Wild Wild West actor and his son Jaden Smith, was poorly reviewed by critics and audiences alike. However, Smith Sr. once voiced some strong opinions about the movie, referring to it as “excruciating”.

After Earth

In a candid conversation about his career, the actor/rapper, 55, shared his unfiltered thoughts about After Earth with Esquire:

“Wild Wild West was less painful than After Earth because my son was involved in After Earth and I led him into it. That was excruciating.”

Much of the criticism directed at After Earth came from Jaden Smith’s performance. No matter what your opinion is of his acting prowess, you have to feel sorry for his father in this situation.

After Earth Was A ‘Valuable Lesson’ For Will Smith 

But Will Smith’s tireless determination is what makes him stand out from the crowd. Instead of letting the setback depress him, he used it as a teaching moment. He mentioned the astute advice given by Daphne Maxwell Reid during the Esquire interview:

“Do not let success go to your head and failure go to your heart. That was a valuable lesson for me a few years ago with After Earth. That was the most painful failure in my career.”

Jaden Smith and Will Smith in After Earth

The actor claimed to have learned a lot, despite the disappointment and heartbreak surrounding the film’s underwhelming response. He explained:

“What I learned from that failure is how you win. I got reinvigorated after the failure of After Earth. I stopped working for a year and a half. I had to dive into why it was so important for me to have number-one movies.”

Smith clarified that neither he nor his wife Jada Pinkett Smith had any influence on their son’s decision to pursue an acting career in an interview with New York Magazine

“It may seem like we have pushed our kids into the business, but that is absolutely insane. I would never, ever, push somebody to have their face on a poster that’s going be everywhere in the world. He is making a choice from the informed.”

Golden Raspberry Awards were given out for Worst Supporting Actor to Will Smith and Worst Actor to his son. They even took home the Worst Screen Combo award. Sadly, is negativity not an essential part of the industry?

After Earth is available on Netflix.