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5. WILL SMITH
AGE 39
JOB TITLE Actor/producer
SMART BECAUSE He has revitalized and redefined
old-fashioned movie stardom in an era when movie
stardom has become small and suspect. After
hitting the scene in the mid-'80s as rapper Fresh
Prince, then transitioning successfully to TV, Smith
soon demonstrated surprising versatility and a
knack for picking blockbusters that have given
him license to do...well, anything, from Oscar-nominated
drama (The Pursuit of Happyness) to
event-film spectacle (I Am Legend). He credits
Ali director Michael Mann with enlightening his
filmmaking mind, and pure elbow grease for
achieving a level of global popularity unprecedented
for an African-American actor. Smith sums up
his work ethic this way: ''I don't like to lose.'' Here
are his keys to a winning career.
SET A GOAL ''When I started in movies, I said, 'I
want to be the biggest movie star in the world.'
The biggest movie stars make the biggest
movies, so [my producing partner James Lassiter
and I] looked at the top 10 movies of all
time. At that point, they were all special-effects
movies. So Independence Day — no-brainer. Men
in Black — no-brainer. I, Robot — no-brainer.''
PICK A ROLE MODEL ''Tom Hanks is the prototype
of where I want to be. I admire how he is able to
morph with the times and the audience. He is
very savvy that way.''
WORK YOUR ASS OFF ''My father had a ridiculous
work ethic. He started his own business. To him,
kids were convenient employees. So from a really
early age, I was working — and I was in charge.''
MANAGE YOUR FEAR ''After [1999' s disappointment]Wild Wild West, I got scared and started
choosing incorrectly. For me, I did Bad Boys IIand Men in Black II out of fear. That was a bad
time for me psychologically because I wasn't
thinking the right way about filmmaking.''
STRETCH YOURSELF — ASAP ''The smartest move I
ever made was Six Degrees of Separation. I was
[thinking of] leaving The Fresh Prince of Bel-Airand needed to set a tone. Separation was so far at
the other end of the spectrum of anything I had
done. It became easier for me to convince Jerry
Bruckheimer that I could do Bad Boys. It blew
open a world of possibilities for me.''
