Jaden Smith knows what it’s like to feel like an outsider. “I’ve always looked at life differently,” says the 18-year-old actor, rapper, and fashion trendsetter. “I always knew no one was going to understand me — since before I could talk — and that’s why I was so quiet. I was very calm, very to myself. I could tell I felt about life differently than other kids; I could tell by the way they treated me.”
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| Mark Williams & Sara Hirakawa for Variety |
That outlook is one of the things that attracted Smith to his role as Marcus “Dizzee” Kipling in Baz Luhrmann’s musical drama series “The Get Down,” now available on Netflix. It also helped that Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” is his favorite movie of all time. “I knew I was going to say yes,” says Smith, about the moment the filmmaker pitched him the show.
Smith’s feeling of being an outsider is also behind his fashion sense. He has made headlines for his ensembles, like the white Batman suit he wore to prom and to the Kim Kardashian-Kanye West wedding, and the dresses and skirts he’s been photographed in at various events.
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“I’ve always been super-duper fly and super-duper different,” he says of his style, adding he’s worn dresses for the last 10 years at least, but it was only fairly recently that it got attention. “People just start caring when they have a reason to start caring,” he says, and cites his style icons: Andy Warhol, the Joker, Poseidon, and Spike from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Now Smith has a clothing line on his MSFTSrep site. When asked to elaborate on the collective, Smith says, “It’s pronounced ‘misfits.’ I took the ‘I’ out of ‘misfits’ because we’re a team and there is no ‘I’ in team. It’s a place for the lost kids and everyone to go, and something for them to have.”
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| Mark Williams & Sara Hirakawa for Variety |
He says it’s created for “the girl that wants to be a tomboy or the boy that wants to wear a skirt, and people try to condemn. We’re here for you. Tell us your stories. If someone at your school’s trying to pick on you, it doesn’t matter because Jaden Smith’s got your back.”
Another organization Smith is passionate about is JUST Water, a company that produces water in a bottle made largely out of renewable resources. “It’s a bottle of water that has 74% less CO2 emissions than any of its competitors,” he notes.
Asked who he credits for his strong sense of self, he doesn’t hesitate. “My parents, of course,” he says of actors Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. “My parents told me that the world was harsh and that we had to be strong within ourselves.”
“Jaden Smith knows what it’s like to feel like an outsider. “I’ve always looked at life differently,” says the 18-year-old actor, rapper, and fashion trendsetter. “I always knew no one was going to understand me — since before I could talk — and that’s why I was so quiet. I was very calm, very to myself. I could tell I felt about life differently than other kids; I could tell by the way they treated me.”
That there is why nobody gives two shits about you…half-witted retard! Oh yeah…and you and your nitwit father still haven’t apologised for “After Earth”!
That’s why this world is in soo much trouble, the promotion of stupidity, ignorance and mediocrity! Whether it’s this ass clown or the tangerine tinted mummified foreskin imbecile who is about to occupy the White House come January 2017.
Ta…
I appreciate he supports people who are judged for how they look – which is ANYONE who looks different. People are sick, mostly, about appearances. So what if someone’s old as F, or overweight as F, or fem boy as F, or a super butch female, or wears pink suits but has a thick long black beard, etc…
but, don’t ever call yourself super fly, lol… come on, man… let others do that for you if you deserve it. You can say you are a caring and chill kinda guy, though! :)
Poor misunderstood you. Wah.
Self-centered rich jack-ass. You’re not a special snowflake, Jaden, you’re a very wealthy little boy who’s sense of self comes from fame & money. You have nothing to offer by way of advice, thought or example.
You’re an unlikable, minor talent and anyone who actually listens to you is likely an idiot, too.
The positive ways in which this child continually describes himself shouldn’t be said about oneself, they should come from other people. The guy is an A-grade narcissist.
Lots of haters here. Everyone should feel they are special. Growing up everyone’s parents should have made them feel special. I know mine did. Maybe that’s the real problem here. Everyone (even the haters) are special in their own way. Jaden just get’s to play his out in the lime light because he is the son of Will Smith. That’s the way it goes. Would Jenna Bush really have landed a gig on ABC if she wasn’t the daughter of former President George Bush? You don’t have to join the army, jump out of planes or deploy into dangerous environments to have a well rounded perspective on life. He has his life to live, and he has been raised in a different and exclusive fashion. His parents have done a great job. We should not embody hatred or resentment to Jaden or ANYONE because they were raised in extremely wealthy environments, while most of us are of the middle class. Grow up people, let green be reserved for a well manicured lawn.
I completely agree. I’ve never been rich n I completely understand Jaden n how he feels. These ignorant ppl saying Jaden does it BC he’s famous, rich, etc don’t have the capacity to understand him or anyone different than most ppl. N they’re proving Jadens point of not being understood. Jaden I understand n ppl with no heart n who bring anyone down , especially when they did nothing wrong, I’ll never understand them. There are evil ppl in the world. N just BC you dnt meet their standards n aren’t like everyone else, they bash you n put you down . They obviously need to learn how to love n have compassion n empathy (not sympathy) for others. Being different n not fitting in and having compassion is a gift from God Himself. N BC Jaden has money, he’s using it for a good cause n I’m sure there will be more good causes he will do. God bless you, Jaden! Take care
Learn to spell. No one takes you seriously with the text shorthand you use. Are you so busy that you have to shorten “and” to “n”. Or do you just not know? I’m surprised you didn’t resort to emoticons. You sound like a moron.
Oh, and while we’re on the subject, Jaden Smith is also a moron.
I’m so very, very sick of the media pushing the careers of rich, spoiled, privileged celebrity kids. It seems as if when anybody gets famous, their kids’ tickets are punched. When they’d never make it on their own. In numerous categories from entertainment to business to politics the U.S. is permeated with nepotism and institutionalized elitism. Inexperienced actors get roles over everybody else because of their name. There are Congressional seats controlled for decades by one family like a peerage class title. Even the Presidency of the U.S. is infected with nepotism. We had two Bushes and now we’ll have two Clintons. As they Clintons groom Chelsea for her political career. It’s sickening and not healthy for Democracy..
Except he’s not running for office. He’s just selling clothes to kids like him and appearing in the occasional movie. Also, unless you believe yourself to be psychic, we don’t know what he’d accomplish on his own. Also, I hope you’re not a Trump supporter either, since he and his own children are similarly the product of nepotism. The difference between them and Jaden is he’s not trying to exert control over our lives. He just wants to sell people some jeans and skirts (the horror.) The amount of animosity people feel toward someone who has little if any impact on their lives is unreal, and ultimately you’re just reinforcing his claims and perpetuating his fame/infamy. As long as his articles get hits, publications will keep posting them. Perhaps you should inform your doctor that it hurts when you hit yourself, too.
I find it pretty funny that people are commenting about “he’s just an average person” or “wait till he sees real life” or “no body even knows who he is” on an article they’re reading about him… once you all get Jaden Smith commenting on an article written about you, then those comments can be validated lol
His fame, babe, is not because he is special or has any unique talent. It’s because he has celebrity parents.
The smug arrogance of this kid is unwarranted. He compares himself to Galileo for God’s sake. It’s horrible.
I know there are a lot of people like you who believe that people who are famous for being famous are gods on this planet, deserving and amazing simply because they’re rich.
I guess there’s enough of you or sustain the mediocre and ensure they continue being rich and privileged. The Kardashians have created an empire despite their vapidness and superficiality, because of celebrity worshippers like you.
There’s a lot of CoS nonsense in what little he had to say. One of his style icons is Poseidon! That made me LOL. For the most part isn’t Poseidon always depicted nude?
Like your parents, you give yourself way too much credit for the interest you believe the public has in you. We all need to focus on making “ourselves” better, in turn those around us, are happier with what “we” are, and it becomes a domino affect.
Oh boy, a child of privilege most kids only dreams about thinks anyone cares “he feels different from everyone else.” Welcome to most kid’s world, regardless of money. I felt the same way coming from middle class parents and he needs to realize he is not in any way unique or special. In fact quite average. Even his face suggest a blank intelligence & vacuous slate propped up by the Smith fortune.
He’s an extremely lucky kid who should take advantage of what he’s been handed on a silver platter and stop disingenuously protesting so much (or essentially just shut the heck up). No one will be attending his over-privileged & indulged pity party.
He needs to watch Forrest Gump. Because there were a lot of people that followed Forrest too, for no particular reason. That is his followers! Poor young boy, he hasn’t got a clue what real life is all about, he hasn’t got a clue what real struggle is, he really has no clue who he is yet…….
I’d love to see how “different” and “fly” he’d be had he been born to poor parents in Louisiana in a house that got flooded out every couple of years.
YEAH RIGHT NOT A BIT THE SPOILED KID THAT CRAPPED ON HIS PARENTS WHEN AT AGE 13 SAID HE DID NOT NEED THEM–THEN WHY USE THEIR NAME? WITHOUT IT HE WOULD GET NOTHING–ALL HE DOES IS ACT OUTRAGEOUS TO GET PR NOTHING MORE! LIKE THE GENDER BENDER DEAL—-WHAT EVER IS IN THESE DAYS–
Things people have said when 13, vs what they say when they are 18, vs what they say when they are 30, vs what they say when…. rebellious 13 year olds? Man, who could have ever seen that coming. Super duper anything, when talking about oneself is over the top, but hey, he is still 18. Have you ever regretted something you said when you were young? I’m going to guess yes. You know how it goes… “I can’t believe my parents were right!” schtick. :-)
Yeah, the world was real harsh for you. Raised by millionaire, over-indulgent parents who cast you in pet projects even though you don’t have a lick of talent. It’s too bad Hollywood Squares isn’t still around. It would be amusing in ten years to watch you stumble over the jokes someone else wrote for you.
You can call it confidence if you want, but most would call it strange. He does this to get attention or he has a mental issue. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.
Good for you Jaden. There’s nothing wrong with
being confident. I don’t know why so many “adults” hate this kid.
But he’s an “adult” too…
There’s a difference between confidence and arrogance. Only celebrity worshippers like arrogance.
Jaden, almost all of these “comments” are harsh–Be strong within yourself!
Hates him? The majority of the public doesn’t even know him. If he would face the fact that he is in an industry that he fell into because of his parents, he would have the attitude , “What others think of me is none of my business.”.
All I see is a kid who recognizes he doesn’t fit in and wants to reach out who kids who feel the same. Also, one could similarly argue that his opinion of himself is none of your business but just as he has made it your business by expressing it, so, too, have you made your opinion the business of others. We have college athletes getting away with rape, and people are angry some kid has a high opinion of himself yet none of the entitlement that drives him to assault others?
Give me a break. If people spent half as much time raging against the things that actually hurt people as they did against meaningless BS like this, we’d all be better off. If Jaden ever assaults someone due to privilege, then I’ll be right there with you. Until then, get your priorities in order.
A little “harsh” reality is good for the soul and this kid’s perspective. He’s been so entrenched in his wealth enclave he has none.
I don’t think this flake is part of “young Hollywood” set. He’d be nothing but a weirdo without his parents who have bought his way into most anything he does. Feel sorry for young people today with REAL talent – hard to get a break.
Most kids with rich parents have connections. What’s your point? And who are you to define what “REAL” talent is.
This kid reminds me of me when I was a kid.
Word of advice for this young man: When one describes himself as “super-duper fly”, one is totally NOT super-duper fly. One is only super-duper fly when other objective observers perceive them as being super-duper fly. To publicly state one’s OWN super-duper fly-dom makes that person a super-duper douche.
That’s a variation of the “Kanye West Self-Proclaimed Creative Genius Syndrome.” You let others make that determination. (It’s not true of Kanye either.)
Did you also know no one was going to like you, because that’s happening all over.
He’s so much more complex and special than everyone else around him. How could we common folk be expected to understand?
His parents have ruined him by not trying to being him down to earth a bit.
Well, he certainly chose the right family to be born into.
Thank you, Jaden. Cleared up a lot of questions we had. If people understanding you is a problem, let’s try a solution. Don’t say things like “Super Duper Fly” about yourself, when yourself starred in After Earth.