Will Smith has opened up about the romantic feelings he developed for Grease star Stockard Channing.
Writing in his upcoming memoir, 'Will', the actor reveals how he "fell in love" with his Six Degrees of Separation co-star, Channing — who is perhaps best known for her playing Betty Rizzo in Grease.
At the time, Smith was married to his first wife, Sheree Zampino, and they had just welcomed their son, Trey. But as his feelings for Channing grew on the set of the 1993 film, their relationship remained strictly professional, he writes.
In an excerpt of the memoir, shared with PEOPLE, the 53-year-old writes: "Sheree and I were in the first few months of our marriage with a brand-new baby and for Sheree, I can imagine that this experience was unsettling to say the least.
"She'd married a guy named Will Smith and now she was living with a guy named Paul Poitier," he continues, referencing his character's name in Six Degrees of Separation.
"And to make matters worse, during shooting I fell in love with Stockard Channing. After the film wrapped, Sheree and Trey and I moved back to L.A. Our marriage was off to a rocky start. I found myself desperately yearning to see and speak to Stockard."
This is not the first time that the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star has spoken about his feelings for Channing. In an interview with Esquire back in 2015, as reported by People, he revealed the "dangers" of method acting.
"With Six Degrees of Separation, I got a taste early of the dangers of going too far for a character," the actor — who has been married to Jada Pinkett-Smith for 23 years — told reporter, Scott Raab.
"My character was in love with Stockard Channing's character. And I actually fell in love with Stockard Channing."
Raab asked: "Will Smith the human being did?"
"Will Smith," the actor clarified. "So the movie was over and I went home, and I was dying to see Stockard. I was like, 'Oh no! What have I done?' That was my last experience with Method acting, where you're reprogramming your mind. You're actually playing around with your psychology. You teach yourself to like things and to dislike things."
"It is a really dangerous place when you get good at it. But once I had that experience, I was like, No more Method acting," he added.
Smith's memoir is due to be released on November 9.
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