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Christian artist Lecrae recently sat down with industry giant Will Smith to talk about his rise and fall in Hollywood, as well as his faith.
"There's this image on the internet, and it's a little girl holding a little bear," says Smith. "It's like Jesus standing over her with a big bear behind his back. But she can't see the big bear, so she's clinging to the little bear, not trusting that if you let go of the little bear, you'll get the big one. There's a trust of God, of source, there's a trust of the truth, that you got to let go of the little bear."
Smith, who is 56 years old, has been in the spotlight in negative ways in the past few years. This includes going up on stage during the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, and slapping host Chris Rock. The host had made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her lack of hair. Afterward, Smith was given a 10-year ban on attending the Oscars.
"I think it's the top human skill-set," says Smith. "A willingness to die, to let go. That thing's not serving you anymore.
"You're like, for me, the closest picture to a person embodying Ecclessiastes," says Lecrae. "I've experienced it all, I've seen it all, done it all, and it didn't really do what I thought it was going to do. So I'm going to tell you this. I think that takes a lot of courage."
The two continued the conversation, talking about the fact that making it big as the world defines success isn't what it's cracked up to be.
"It is such a rare gift to reach the end of the material world," says Smith. "To reach the end of money where you can buy anything you want. Where as buying things used to scratch an itch. To have had all the sex you want to have. How many more number one movies do I need, how many more Grammys? It's a rare gift to get to the end of the material world where only God is left."
Smith shares how he has taken time to get acquainted with many religions, having read through the entire Bible, the Quaran, the Bhagavad Gita, and the teaching of Buddha.
"There's a corresponding place to rock bottom that I call cliff top," says Smith. "Inward is the only place left. There's no new country you can go to, no job, no new relationship you can start. It's excruciating, but I would wish that on everybody. I wish everybody could have everything they want to see that it doesn't satisfy."
Talking Faith and Who God Is
Smith opened up about his childhood and the faith that he was exposed to.
"I was raised with an Old Testament grandmother," Smith said, laughing. "If I had to say what my religion is, I would take the Mohammed Ali quote, saying 'My religion is love.' I believe in the oneness and the possibility of harmony between people who are all reaching for the One."
Smith just released a new album on Mar. 28, 2025, called Based on a True Story. It has 14 tracks on it, including a song called "The Reverend" and another called "You Can Make It," featuring Sunday Service Choir.
"Fortunately or unfortunately, broken hearts are how we cultivate loving hearts," says Smith. "If you've never been there, you can't help nobody."