Jada Pinkett Smith: There's only room for one star in our family

[Ale]

By Tiffany Rose 19/09/2008

The Hollywood actress, 36, on her sexy superstar hubby Will Smith’s romantic side (lucky lady), being a hot mama, and why she’s a secret baking sensation

What has been your weirdest experience with a fan?

Jada Pinkett Smith: You would think it would be Will (Smith, her husband) who’d get them, but I always get the crazy ones. There was a woman who had a total meltdown in Miami while I was there. The police called my agent and said, ‘We have this woman who has plotted to kill Jada because she claims to be married to Will, and that Jada stole Will from her.’ So the police found this woman and locked her up.

Why do you think you attract crazies?

JPS: It’s because I’m little. Will is a 6ft 2in, 14-stone black dude who nobody wants to mess with, so instead they come after the little 4ft 11in chick.

Showbiz marriages usually have a short shelf life. What’s your secret to marital bliss?

JPS: It’s the yin and yang – he and I balance one another. If he flips, I automatically flip to the other side. We’re always debating different political issues and different philosophies on life. He’ll be on one side and I’ll be on the other, and as soon as I see his point of view, he goes right back.

So does he perk you up if you’re having a bad day?

JPS: That’s it. If I’m having a bad day, he’s like this ray of sunshine or if he’s having a bad day, I go right over to be his sunshine.

Is it hard finding time to spend together with your busy careers?

JPS: It may be for him, because he likes me right there all the time. For me, I always feel it’s good for us to go off and have experiences and tell each other about them. That’s what keeps a relationship fresh – when you can go out separately and come back with something to offer. But we don’t usually go more than two weeks apart. Every time we come back together, we have something new to share. And he goes, ‘That’s why I love you!’

Do you believe fate played a part in bringing you together?

JPS: Absolutely. I auditioned for The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air when I was 19, but they told me I was too short to play Will’s TV girlfriend. Then I became this hot little mama on the show A Different World, and all the boys would come on to the set to check me out. He showed up and I wasn’t paying him any attention. Then he met his first wife, Sheree Zampino, and I was doing my thing. He was very good friends with a friend of mine, Dwayne. When Dwayne and I were filming a movie in North Carolina, Will came along and asked me to be on Fresh Prince, and I was like, ‘Hell no, I’m not doing TV again, I’m a movie actress goddamit!’ Then he got divorced and I saw him again with Dwayne. We went out on a date and that was it. But getting together was a three-year process.

What’s the most romantic thing Will has done for you?

JPS: A few weeks ago, I left New York to go home to LA and I went into the bedroom and it was full of flowers, roses and candles. He had written a little note by the bed saying he missed me. He does stuff like that all the time.

Do you have a movie star crush?

JPS: Ah, yes, Johnny Depp (gushes). That guy just oozes charisma.

Tell us something about yourself that we don’t know.

JPS: I’m a horrific cook, but I can bake. I bake all kinds of sweet things – biscuits, 7-Up cakes, cookies…

What’s a 7-Up cake?

JPS: It’s a cake made with 7-Up soda. You all wouldn’t know about it – it’s a ghetto thing from the American South. It is the bomb! It’s cool because Will’s ex-wife cooks really well – we all spend Christmas together – and she cooks macaroni and cheese and creamed corn and I do my little 7-Up cake, so Will’s happy! I told him, ‘You made two good choices: one who can bake and the other who can cook’.

Does having a family affect the movie choices you make?

JPS: Absolutely. I only work on projects close to my heart.

So what are you looking for professionally?

JPS: Well, I always try to make sure that I’m not forgotten, so that when I do want to work I can get a meeting. But my priority is my family. I do love doing what I do, but you can’t have two superstars in the family. We already have one…

Who is the star in the family?

JPS: Ahem… Will Smith. Do you have any idea who I’m talking about? But I knew that going into a relationship with him, and that’s how we keep our family balanced.

You worked with Will in Ali. Any plans to reunite again?

JPS: We are trying to, yeah. We’re just trying to find the right script.

Have you always been ambitious?

JPS: When I was three, I said, ‘I’m gonna be a star.’ Oh, yes. Once I got my first movie, I was like, ‘Done!’ I’ve always been ready to take on the world.

Are you still like that?

JPS: In a different way. My kids are the most precious things I have and so children just put things into perspective. Once my children came into the world, I was like, ‘There’s nothing more precious than these human beings.’

You always look great. Do you have a stylist, or do you just have an eye for fashion?

JPS: It’s something I’ve had to work on. I just realised fashion is an art, it’s another expression of who you are as a woman and you’ve got to take that seriously. As of late, I’ve been trying really hard.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

JPS: Haagen-Daz Egg Nog ice cream. Once I have a taste of it, consider it an empty carton.

Your new film is called The Women. What was it like to work with mostly female cast?

JPS: I play Miriam, who is part of a circle of gossipy New York socialites. It was interesting to be in this large group of women and to see what we brought individually to the film. It just worked. Annette Bening is brilliant. I was in awe of her. I actually had to catch myself, because I was watching her like a student. She’s a veteran. And then for all of us – Meg (Ryan), Eva (Mendes), Annette and I – to sit around and talk about our families, balancing our lives, husbands, divorce, boyfriends, it made me recognise how much you need to be around other women.

Jada's reality check

When was the last time you ate a Big Mac?

Nah, you wouldn’t catch me eating fast food. I’m a bit of a health freak. Healthy body, healthy mind.

Have you ever said; ‘Don’t you know who I am?’

(Laughs) I leave that one to Will!

What was the last domestic thing you did?

I did some baking at the weekend for the kids.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/celebs-on-s...15875-20744472/

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Cool interview! :thumbsup:

[Jazzy Julie]

i want a 7 up cake! ive never heard of those. Do u think the crazy woman was Loretta, if not they have bad luck with these crazy people.

[MissAshley]

I'll never understand why the press recycles interviews, lol. half of that is from like 2004.

poor Jada she really does get the crazies, there was a chick in London trying to get to her, who had her cell number and everything. there's a 50-50 chance one of them was Loretta Julie, lol.

[Turntable]

so loretta is real,lol

[MaxFly]

What has been your weirdest experience with a fan?

Jada Pinkett Smith: You would think it would be Will (Smith, her husband) who’d get them, but I always get the crazy ones. There was a woman who had a total meltdown in Miami while I was there. The police called my agent and said, ‘We have this woman who has plotted to kill Jada because she claims to be married to Will, and that Jada stole Will from her.’ So the police found this woman and locked her up.

This must be where "Loretta" came from.

[Hero1]

Yep straight out of Loretta