Will Smith Confesses to Making 'Tons of Mistakes' Amid Tumultuous Year

Will Smith

Will Smith opened up about dealing with fame after repeatedly making headlines over the past few years for his actions or rumors regarding his life.

The actor appeared at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, and during an open discussion, Smith said of fame, "Fame is a unique monster and I've had to be really careful."

In a clip shared by Deadline on X, he went on, "You can't get excited when everybody is saying good things about you because the more you take when people are saying good things, the more hurt you're going to be when people are saying bad things about you."

At another point in the conversation, Smith also seemed to admit to some self-sabotage, saying to the audience, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, "I love puzzles, I love problems. Yeah, so I started making my own problems. Life is going too well...I have made tons of mistakes."

Thinking on the future, Smith also took the opportunity to share the "next phase" of his personal growth, noting that he plans to focus on "perfecting and shining my light as brightly as I can, on as many people as I can."

While Smith's statement was reflective and sounded poignant, the response from fans was mixed. Some supported the star and his honesty, as one wrote, "Amen Will. The best thing about the gift of growing older is that I get to use the entirety of my lived experience to grow and express my Light, do the work I'm destined to do, and accept my human authentic self. Life is a blessing."

Another responded, "This is awesome & humbling of will!"

But others weren't exactly on his side, with comments like, "Will Smith has never been my favorite actor because of his attitude. I'm happy Reality hits all!" and "I love Will but he needs to man up life is short there's only love in the world... let that nightmare go!!"

Smith faced extreme backlash in early 2022 when he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars ceremony, with the actor later banned from attending Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences events for 10 years.

Since then, he has stayed somewhat under the radar, until his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's memoir, Worthy, was released at the beginning of October, with the book revealing more about the couple's relationship and home life, including the fact that they've been separated since 2016.

Now, Smith is slowly getting back into acting, with the 55-year-old also sharing an update on the highly-anticipated I Am Legend 2 while at the Saudi Arabia film festival.

Next: Jada Pinkett Smith Gives Update on Will Smith Marriage After Recent Kissing Photo