Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Will and Jaden Smith: Like father, like son when it comes to pushing your movies

 

Robert Meakin
Monday 27 May 2013 19:12 EDT
Comments
From left to right, Bradley Cooper, Heather Graham, Jaden Smith,Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro and DJ Jazzy Jeff on the decks behind during filming of the Graham Norton show at the London Studios
From left to right, Bradley Cooper, Heather Graham, Jaden Smith,Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro and DJ Jazzy Jeff on the decks behind during filming of the Graham Norton show at the London Studios (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Long established as one of the most potent forces in Hollywood, Will Smith now insists on coming with an added twist: namely his teenage son and current co-star, Jaden.

Promoting their new film, After Earth, the Will and Jaden roadshow has hit London in recent days, hammering home the new family double act with inevitable vigour. Jaden, 14, already boasts a career of his own, most notably taking the lead role in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid. But Will and Jaden? This is a potentially tougher sell and Smith senior is pulling out all the stops to seal the deal – and he of course has plenty of stops to pull.

The pair were seen showboating with fellow shy-and-retiring type Boris Johnson in the Mayor’s office, and delivering a lively turn on Graham Norton’s chat show. Many of Norton’s fans will have briefly died a little inside when the savvy Irishman was obliged to suggest the Smith boys perform a “spontaneous” rap. As they confidently grabbed the microphones and broke into the first of four numbers, spontaneity was the one thing that didn’t come to mind.

Now 44, the one-time Fresh Prince of Bel-Air seeks to combine his trademark funny and irreverent public demeanour of old with a new faux disapproval of his cocksure Mini-Me, ready to slap him down gently when he feels junior’s rawer anecdotal skills need steering in the right direction.

Like I say, a tougher sell. I also wouldn’t bet against them.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in