Jaden has already starred in a 25-million-pound movie, and Willow has got a hit single and a tour on the way – but that raises a question. Is Will Smith making his children grow up just a little too fast?
10-year-old Willow has to her credit a catchy song, Whip My Hair, video produced by Ray Kay whose work includes Lady Gaga’s Poker Face and Justin Bieber’s Baby.
It’s an excellent R&B song, but the fact that the singer — in revealing clothes and posturing in an overtly sexual way — is a ten-year-old makes for unsettling viewing, reports the Daily Mail.
Willow has been signed by Jay-Z, the husband of Beyonce, mentor of Rihanna and current kingmaker of the American music scene.
“It felt like all that hard work that I’ve done — like recording Whip My Hair — it’s paid off,” she said, talking of her contract.
But why make their children work hard at such a young age when the couple is still making big bucks in the industry?
At 42, Smith is the most successful actor in Hollywood commanding upwards of 10 million pounds a movie and wife Jada, 39, combines acting with being a producer, novelist, musician and philanthropist.
In the summer, Jaden had his first starring role in a 25-million-pound remake of the Eighties hit The Karate Kid.
Willow was making sure she was getting just as much attention as her brother with a series of eye-catching looks on the red carpet, including a Mohican hairstyle and Givenchy handbag.
“Becoming a star when you are a child can be too much too soon. You exist in a strange bubble where people make you think you are somebody very special,” said psychologist Corinne Sweet.
“When child stars grow up they can have a problem with the reality of the world. They also have no goals to aim for as they did it all when they were young,” she added.
But Will and Jada insist things will be different for their offspring.
“When your dad is still the biggest movie star in the world, that keeps things grounded. They grew up in the industry; it’s not like they are moving into something different,” said Jada.
Movie stylist Phillip Bloch agreed, “It’s a balanced family situation. It’s just that when Mum and Dad’s friends come over, it’s Jamie Foxx or Tom Cruise or Queen Latifah.”