Will Smith calls himself a ‘coward’ in Netflix interview with David Letterman

Will Smith has revealed how he feels about his actions as a young child when he did nothing while his father “beat up” his mother.

Hollywood actor Will Smith has revealed he has always thought of himself as a “coward” in an interview with David Letterman.

In the fourth season of the hit Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, which premiered in the US on Friday, Smith opened up about his childhood and how he witnessed domestic abuse in his family.

He also touched on his recent memoir Will.

“The first line of the first chapter is, ‘I’ve always thought of myself as a coward’,” he said.

“When I was nine years old, I saw my father beat up my mother, and I didn’t do anything. And that just left a traumatic impression of myself as a coward.”

“Life is so exciting to me right now, because I can reach people differently that I’ve ever been able to reach people, largely because of my pain.

“I’m really ready to dive into my art in a way that I think with be hopefully fulfilling for me and helpful for the human family.”

David Letterman interviews Will Smith in his latest season of his Netflix show.

The interview covered various facets of Smith’s life and career but did not address his infamous slap of Chris Rock’s face at the Oscars because it was filmed before the incident March.

Smith has since apologised for his actions on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Several major projects tied to him have also been put on ice since the violent attack.

During the Letterman interview, Smith playfully told off the host for talking about his mother Caroline Bright.

“Don’t say nothin’ ‘bout my mother, Dave,” Smith said.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star also gave the formerLate Show host some boxing tips and talked about defending his family.

Smith said he realised the “material world is completely, utterly, and totally incapable of sustaining our happiness”.

“Beyond the essentials of protecting yourself and your family,” Letterman interjected.

“You can’t protect your family, right?” the father-of-three said.

“That’s not real. Protection and safety is an illusion. You have to learn to live with the reality that any moment, anything can be gone in one second.”

Smith added, “So with that reality, how can you be here? And how can you be joyful and be here?”

Originally published as Will Smith calls himself a ‘coward’ in Netflix interview with David Letterman