Will Smith's embrace of social media in the past year has offered a glimpse into his life that he's never offered before. In addition to Jada Pinkett Smith's Red Table Talk, there's a new sense of vulnerability from the Hollywood star that he's exploring even further on his new memoir, Will. The latest excerpt from the book discusses how he "fell in love" with his costar Stockard Channing during the filming of their 1993 film, Six Degrees Of Separation.
Channing played the lead role of Louisa "Ouisa" Kittredge while Smith took on the role of Paul Poitier. "Sheree and I were in the first few months of our marriage with a brand-new baby and for Sheree, I can imagine that this experience was unsettling to say the least," Smith wrote in the book. "She'd married a guy named Will Smith and now she was living with a guy named Paul Poitier. And to make matters worse, during shooting I fell in love with Stockard Channing."
At the time of filming, he was married to his first wife Sheree Zampino, though he revealed that his feelings for Channing grew stronger, even after the movie was done. "After the film wrapped, Sheree and Trey and I moved back to L.A," he continued. "Our marriage was off to a rocky start. I found myself desperately yearning to see and speak to Stockard."
Smith has previously discussed this topic in the past. During an in-depth profile with Esquire in 2015, the Fresh Prince detailed how his experience with the psychological effects of method acting. "My character was in love with Stockard Channing's character. And I actually fell in love with Stockard Channing," he revealed. "That was my last experience with Method acting, where you're reprogramming your mind. You're actually playing around with your psychology. You teach yourself to like things and to dislike things."
Shortly after, Channing called Smith's comments "flattering" during an interview with PageSix. "I adored him from the first time I laid eyes on him because I thought he was genuinely sweet," Channing said. "I felt very protective of him, because it was his first big job. It's amazing for me to hear that he felt that way, I'm delighted."
Will drops on Nov. 9th.
