‘Will and Jada’s turbulent marriage? They’d told me all about it already’
SUNDAY, JULY 12
Movie superstar Will Smith and his actress wife Jada Pinkett Smith have sparked worldwide shock and bemusement by publicly discussing their turbulent 22-year marriage, including a hitherto unknown break- up, during which Jada had an affair with singer August Alsina.
Everyone seems weirded out by the fact they would do this on air, appearing together on Jada’s Facebook show Red Table Talk, for our titillating delectation.
But I wasn’t, having received a fascinating insight into their relationship a few years ago when I interviewed Jada in New York for CNN amid rumours they were going through a tough time.
Will turned up unannounced to support her, something I only discovered when I went to greet Jada in the Green Room, and he marched straight towards me shouting: ‘ I wasn’t sure about YOU… NOT SURE AT ALL!’
He stood just inches away, steely eyes lasered into mine for several long, uncomfortable seconds.
Eventually, he grinned. ‘ But now I like you. You know how you got me? It’s the way you say, “Blimey…” ’
Will then began impersonating me in an outrageously over-the-top Pathé Newsstyle English accent, before following us out into the studio to watch the interview from the shadows.
‘ Don’t upset my wife, Mr Morgan,’ he warned, ‘ you wouldn’t l i ke me when I’m angry.’
I introduced Jada as ‘an actress, singer, entrepreneur, author, designer, mother to two young stars, wife to a superstar… only one word for that lot: BLIMEY!’
Will exploded with laughter and gave me an approving thumbs-up.
I asked Jada why he was there.
‘He took two days off from Men In Black 3 to be with me and make sure I’m OK. He knows I’ve had a rough, rough schedule. And he was like, you know what, I’m going to take time off and take care of you. That’s love.’
We then had an extraordinarily candid chat about their marriage, with her husband listening intently and gesticulating off camera throughout.
‘What made you fall in love with him?’ I asked.
‘ Will came at a time in my life where he saw beauty in me that I didn’t see in myself, a diamond in the rough. And he picked me up and blew off all the dust and said, “I’m going to make you shine, girl.” I was going through a really rough time and he created a safe space for me to get healthy and to grow and define myself.’
I’ D READ that they had a very active sex life and a committed policy of pursuing it everywhere t hey went together.
‘ We definitely make love in some interesting places,’ she nodded.
‘ Should I be concerned about my Green Room?’ ‘You should be!’ Wi l l snorted loudly again – a n d wi n k e d at me.
‘I f eel l i ke you have t o keep spontaneity,’ Jada explained. ‘You have to keep your partner on their toes because once it starts getting into a routine, it gets very boring.’ I asked her to name his biggest fault. ‘He’s a workaholic.’ ‘Do you ever have arguments?’ ‘No, we don’t scream at each other. We cut that in the beginning because we’re both very passionate people, so we knew we wouldn’t survive screaming at each other. But, yes, we have arguments, disagreements and debates. You know, we have our problems. It’s not perfect in the sense that we don’t have any issues. It’s not an easy marriage.’ I found her honesty refreshing. What did she think was t he secret to maintaining a Hollywood marriage? ‘Friendship. You have to look at your marriage and understand what is needed – n o t what people want your marriage to be. I have to look at what my husband needs as an individual and he has to look at me and see what I need, and then we have to look at the union and see what the union needs and we have to make decisions based on that, not based on what other people think o u r mar r i a g e should be.’ ‘Who’s the boss?’ ‘Both of us.’ Will nodded vigorously. At the time I was also a judge on America’s Got Talent. ‘ Do you actually HAVE any talent?’ asked Will, suspiciously, after the interview ended.
By chance, Barry Manilow’s piano was still in the studio from an interview earlier in the day, so I sat down at it and began playing Let It Be.
‘When I find myself in times of trouble…’ I crooned.
‘Not bad…’ Will admitted, jumping up on the piano and lying flat down.
‘Speaking words of wisdom… let it be,’ I cooed. Will clapped. ‘ And when the broken- hearted people living in the world agree,’ I continued, ‘there will be an answer, let it be. For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see, there will be an answer, let it be.’
‘ Let it be,’ Will sang too, looking quite emotional.
WHEN I finished, we hugged. And then he hugged a tearful Jada.
Ironically, the classic Beatles song perfectly sums up what’s happened to them since. They were parted, broken-hearted, but found an answer.
I remember thinking when I met them that Will and Jada had a great, if imperfect marriage. Like my friends Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, it’s filled with passion and argument, and occasional behavioural ‘lapses’, but also a deep abiding love for each other.
Their extraordinary ‘interview’ this week confirms that. It ended with them doing a fist- bump and reciting together a catchphrase from Smith’s Bad Boys franchise: ‘ We ride together, we die together. Bad marriage for life.’ And then they fell about laughing. I found it very touching. To all those mocking them, I simply say this: let it be.