A Woman Of Power

A Woman Of Power

JADA Pinkett-Smith, the wife of Hollywood star Will Smith, knows that some people find her too hot-blooded to handle.
By Vicky Roach

The Matrix producer Joel Silver experienced the actor-producer-singer's fury first hand just two days before the premiere of his blockbusting sci-fi sequel.

After a falling out over a promotional appearance on MTV that would have included a shopping tour (Pinkett Smith thought the idea cheesy), she and her famous spouse refused to appear at the star-studded after party.

The 35-year-old mother of two says strong women, such as the character she plays in her latest film, the post-September 11 buddy movie Reign Over Me, get a bad rap.

"Feminine energy, even at its most subtle, can be overwhelming. So you start to understand why very extroverted feminine energy can be offensive and misunderstood.

"At the same time, you have to be who you are. You can't conform to the pleasures of others, so you have to surround yourself with people who can handle that strength."

People such as Smith, who Pinkett Smith describes as a human dynamo.

"He couldn't be the megastar - mega man - that he is without being incredibly powerful," says his wife of 10 years. "You can understand why he would need a woman of intense power to be by his side."

Son Jaden is obviously drawing from the same high-voltage power grid as his A-list parents.
Last year the assured eight-year-old turned in a critically acclaimed performance opposite his Oscar-nominated father in The Pursuit Of Happyness.

"You wish you could take credit for your kids," says Pinkett Smith, "but the truth is, Jaden was born that way."

Far from discouraging her children from joining what she describes as the "family business", the actress actively embraces the idea.

"I hope to God my kids decide the entertainment business is something they want to do, because that's an area where Will and I could give great advice."

Pinkett Smith doesn't believe the celebrity life is any tougher to survive,intact, than any other.

"Life is tough. If you try to protect your kids ... well, that's a fallacy. It's not going to happen. You have to give your kids the tools they need to cope with life."

She acknowledges the challenges involved in living a life under the media microscope, but says, "My kids have grown up with that. For them, it wouldn't be as much of an adjustment as it was for Will and I. They were born into it, they don't know any different. They're ahead of the game, if you know what I mean."

On the other hand, it's quite possible that Jaden, daughter Willow, 6, and Will's son Trey, 14, from his previous marriage to actress Sheree Zampino, may well decide they want nothing to do with the crazy world of showbusiness. And that would be all right with her too.

"Doctor, nurse, trash man ... it's all the same to me."

Pinkett Smith, who gained widespread attention for her role opposite Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996), plays an underappreciated dentist's wife in Reign Over Me, the latest film from director Mike Binder (The Upside Of Anger).

Don Cheadle plays her husband, Alan, a decent man in the grip of a mid-life crisis. He finds an unlikely lifeline in a chance encounter with his college room mate (a serious Adam Sandler), a man who has been traumatised by the death of his wife and two daughters. Alan finds Charlie's untethered lifestyle strangely liberating.

Their relationship - forged around late-night movies, pub gigs and jam sessions - puts him back in touch with his inner adolescent.

Pinkett Smith, who moon-lights as the frontwoman for a "progressive/aggressive" metal band, understands the attraction.

"I look at the Don Cheadle character and see a guy who has lost his identity in being a husband and father," says Pinkett Smith. "There's an imbalance there because he doesn't have a life other than his family life. He doesn't get to be himself.

"For me music gives me an outlet that is separate from my identity as a mother, wife, and even a movie star."

The name of her band is Wicked Wisdom.

"Wicked is a West Indian term - bad meaning good, wisdom meaning woman. So it's one bad woman."
For more info on Jada Koren Pinkett Smith, visit www.thejadapages.com