Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 16:05 10 Nov 2021 GMT
Will Smith has admitted that he struggled with Jada Pinkett Smith's relationship with Tupac Shakur and that he was "tortured by their connection."
The 53-year-old actor has opened up about his feelings about Jada and Tupac and admitted that he had "raging jealousy" over their natural bond.
The Hollywood star has shared details in his new memoir, titled Will, and said that the friendship between his wife and the late rapper made him feel insecure.
Jada, 50, was high school friends with Tupac and after a tough start to life, they managed to fight "their way from under the weight of abuse and neglect" to reach momentous success.
Will revealed that he was wary of the friendship when he started dating Jada.
Writing in his memoir, Will shared: "Though they were never intimate, their love for each other is legendary - they defined 'ride or die.'
"In the beginning of our relationship, my mind was tortured by their connection. He was 'PAC! and I was me."
Speaking about Tupac, Will said that the rapper had "a fearless passion that was intoxicating, a militant morality, and a willingness to fight and die for what he believed was right."
Will said that he felt inadequate in Tupac's presence and that this was the feeling he had when his younger brother Harry would stand up to their abusive father.
The Fresh Prince star said: "Pac was like Harry - he triggered the perception of myself as a coward. I hated that I wasn't what he was in the world, and I suffered raging jealousy: I wanted Jada to look at me like that."
As Will and Jada's relationship blossomed, Will said that he felt a "twisted kind of victory" when Jada was "less available" to be with Tupac.
"If she chose me over Tupac, there was no way I could be a coward. I have rarely felt more validated," he added.
"The way Jada loved 'Pac rendered me incapable of being friends with him. I was too immature."
Tupac was tragically killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996 at the age of 25. Will and Jada tied the knot the following year, with the couple later welcoming son Jaden, 23, and daughter Willow, 21.
