Hollywood superstar Will Smith opened up on a new podcast about the spiritual journey he’s been on since his fall from grace after slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Academy Awards.
During a conversation with Christian rapper Lecrae on the April 4 “The Deep End with Lecrae,” Smith was candid about the “inward work” he’s done over the past few years to reach a “brand new” version of himself, both professionally and personally.
The “Independence Day” star told Lecrae that he had to “trust himself and God” to “let go” of things in his life that weren’t serving him and believe there was a bigger plan.
Smith confessed that he also realized all the fame and success he earned didn’t bring life meaning.
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“It is such a rare gift to reach the end of the material world, to reach the end of money. To get to the point where you can buy anything you want, and you sit in your house and there’s nothing else to buy. Whereas buying things used to scratch an itch,” he said.
“Now there’s nothing else to buy… To have had all the sex that you wanted. How many more number one movies do I need? How many more Grammys do I need?” Smith said. “It’s such a rare gift to get to the end of the material world and a place where only God is left.”
Smith said he came to realize that the “material world” only had so much to offer.
“People usually do that when they hit rock bottom. But there’s a corresponding place to rock bottom which I call cliff top. Where you actually pop out of the material world and you [realize] there’s nothing left here,” he continued. “And inward is the only place left.”
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“There’s no country you can go to. There’s no relationship you can start. No new job that’s going to do it… You get to the end of it. It’s excruciating, but I would wish that on everybody. I wish everybody could get everything they want to see that it doesn’t satisfy,” he added.
Later in the interview, Smith said that while he was raised by a Christian grandmother, his current views on spirituality have been shaped by other religions, including Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
“My religion is love,” he said. “I believe in the oneness and possibility of harmony of people who are reaching for the one truth.”
Smith said he recognized that he lived a “blessed” life and said he doesn’t view himself as better than those who may have to make different life choices because of where they grew up or the situations they’ve been put in.
Smith is currently promoting his newest music album, “Based on a True Story,” which is his first full album in twenty years.
