“Specifically said no”: Willow Smith says Will Smith won’t bring certain roles home

Sitting down with Kid Cudi on his Big Bro podcast, Willow Smith pulled back the curtain on how her dad thinks about work when it could affect life at home. She said Will Smith will pass on roles if the character’s darkness feels like something that could seep into the family ’s day-to-day.

“My dad has specifically said no to certain roles,” Willow said, explaining that he weighs the emotional cost before he says yes.

“because he felt like the energy was too heavy to be bringing into the house.”

The moment came after Kid Cudi shared his own struggle with keeping heavy on-set energy from following him home, setting off a conversation about boundaries and what artists bring back to their families after work.

Beyond the set

Willow connected that idea to her own career. Over the last year she’s leaned hard into music as a multi-instrumentalist, writing and producing most of her tracks and recently touring as a support act — a hands-on approach that mirrors the discipline she says her family practices offstage.

• Willow Smith — musician and producer focused on self-made studio work and a recent support tour.
• Jaden Smith — splits time between film and music, and co-founded the environmental company Just Water.
• Trey Smith — works in music as DJ AcE, keeping a lower profile while producing and performing.

Willow’s comments were made during her appearance on Kid Cudi’s Big Bro podcast, in a conversation sparked by Cudi’s own experience with “heavy” roles and how to leave that weight at the door.