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OSCAR and Grammy winner Will Smith has a message for those dreaming of becoming rich and famous – success in the material world is utterly incapable of making you happy.

The star of Hollywood blockbusters like “Men In Black”, “Independence Day” and “The Pursuit of Happyness” said he started with the belief that being rich and famous would make him happy. 

“I can tell you unequivocally that is untrue,” he told a packed audience at the closing of the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair in the United Arab Emirates. Daily Express was among selected global media invited to cover the 11-day event.

Will, who is also a rapper and producer, cautioned people not to believe what they see on social media, because they’re usually just a façade into someone’s life.

“I think it is wildly important to spend time away from those images.

“It’s really difficult. If you’re going to consume that all day, that’s like saying, ‘hey, how can I eat cake and candy all day, every day, and be healthy?

He advised people to really disconnect from those things and spend solitary time in nature and reading versus scrolling (on social media).  

“The detox of that is critical because it can poison your mind.

“I would encourage all of you to just find some time away from those inputs. To circle back to authenticity,” Will said, citing how he and his family had been victims of negative public scrutiny in recent years. 

Reflecting on reading versus scrolling, he said nothing beats the power of storytelling as a survival mechanism for human beings.

He cited how “The Pursuit of Happyness” which was adapted from a book of the same name touched the lives of just about everyone who saw it when it was made a movie.

“Our minds are storytelling machines. So, the way that the human mind works, it takes in all of the information and puts it together,” he said.

“As you advance it and you start to understand the power of storytelling, it’s how we connect.”

The ‘Pursuit of Happyness’ was based on the true story of Chris Gardner, who as a down and out survived the streets of US with his son until his life turned around. 

Will said it’s one of the top movies that he’s acted in which has had an impact on the people, due in part to its relatability.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from. We can all relate to feeling that determination to be willing to suffer whatever it takes to see your dream come to life.” 

Speaking of Chris, who he (Will) insisted had to be on the set throughout the movie’s production to ensure it depicted him (Chris) accurately, he said:

“Chris is the powerful spirit that it takes to be able to suffer what he suffered and then be able to succeed and it’s something everyone has that needs to be cultivated.”

Will said he always understood the power of a great story to transform the mind and heart from a young age.

One of the movies with great storytelling that left an imprint on his young mind was ‘Star Wars’.

“The first film that really got me was ‘Star Wars’. I think I was probably about 10 years old when (the movie) came out. It just blew my mind.”

The movie’s creativity led him to appreciate the art form and it became the benchmark for what he wanted to do in the world. “I wanted to connect with people. I wanted to make kids feel how I felt when I was watching Star Wars.” 

He said as an adult, Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ left a similar impact on him.

On his own self-titled memoir “Will”, published in 2021, he said writing the book was an enlightening process. 

“You have to choose words to say what you were thinking, feeling, experiencing, and getting to know yourself through the process of telling yourself your story.”

He likened the process of writing his book to the “operating system for your computer”.

“Your story is your operating system. It’s really critical to back up and check your story and make sure all the things that you’re telling about yourself are actually true.” 

He said writing the book was “one of the most transformative periods and experiences of my life.”

It meant getting to know himself and having to be honest about who he was versus who he thought he was. “A humbling but powerful process.” 

“I think it’s difficult to really understand another person. We don’t even understand ourselves.”

He said the process of understanding and being devoted to understanding one another is where compassion is derived from. 

“It’s really hard to have compassion if you don’t understand. If we don’t understand one another, it’s really difficult to create cohesive relationships.”

On whether he saw himself as a better actor or musician, he said it had to be the former.

“It may just be the amount of time I’ve honed my craft as an actor. I consider myself to be master level as an actor,” Will said, adding that music has been relegated more to a hobby.