Will Smith has a new movie out, “King Richard,” and a memoir called “Will.”
The movie struggled at the box office this weekend, taking in just $5.7 million in wide release. The book is number 6 at amazon on its bestseller list.
Although Smith has been incredibly candid over the last year about his open marriage, affairs, his sex life, weight gain, and various other topics that fall under the rubric of “TMI”– too much information — he skips one big issue in the book.
Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett started a private school in lush Calabasas, California for their son and daughter. They hired the administrators and teachers, used Scientology curriculum, and went belly up in 2013. This adventure, however, is skipped over in “Will.”
Initially, Smith admits in the book to becoming obsessed with Tom Cruise, the most famous Scientology celebrity. Will and Jada got every chummy with Cruise when he was going through his Katie Holmes phase, even attending several huge events with him very publicly. And vice versa. It was clear that Cruise saw an opening to bring the Smiths into his cult.
Will and Jada proceeded to start the New Village Academy in Calabasas. They brought in a Scientologist to run it, had a lot scandals and problems, and the whole went up in financial flames in 2013 when their kids were done with it.
It’s a chapter in Will Smith’s life you’d think would merit some recollection in a 400 plus page book. Equally absent from “Will” is any mention of the Scientology like movie bomb Will starred in with son Jaden, “After Earth.” He may be saving all that material for the sequel.
