Will Smith wasn’t just gunning for movie star status—he was after biggest movie star in the world status. And who better to study than Tom Cruise, the gold standard of global promo? In his memoir, Will, Smith revealed how he studied Cruise’s every move while planning his own rise to superstardom. But here’s the kicker: it turns out, Cruise was practically impossible to beat.
Smith was already riding high on the success of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but when it came time to transition from TV star to global film sensation, he needed a game plan. That’s when Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped some solid advice at the May 1996 Planet Hollywood launch in Sydney. “You are not a movie star if your movies are only successful in America,” Schwarzenegger told him. “You are not a movie star until every person in every country on earth knows who you are.”
Taking that to heart, Smith went into full-blown world domination mode. He realized that most actors hated the grueling travel and press work that came with promoting movies worldwide. But to Smith? It was game time. He started watching Cruise, the king of global promotion, like a hawk. “When I arrived in a country to promote my movie, I would ask the local movie executives to give me Tom’s promotional schedule. And I vowed to do two hours more than whatever he did in every country.”
And here’s the mic-drop moment: “Unfortunately, Tom Cruise is either a cyborg, or there are six of him,” Smith writes. Cruise wasn’t just the king of red carpets—he was a marathoner. We’re talking four-and-a-half-hour stretches on the red carpet in Paris, London, Tokyo. In Berlin, Cruise didn’t just pose for pics and wave. Nope, he literally signed every single autograph until there was no one left. Talk about dedication.
But Smith wasn’t about to be outdone. He took a page from his music career to level up his international press tours. While Cruise might have been signing autographs into infinity, Smith cranked it up by adding live performances to his movie premieres. And bam—suddenly, his movie wasn’t just the latest Hollywood flick; it was cultural news. “Tom couldn’t do that — neither could Arnold, Bruce, or Sly,” Smith points out. He found his own way to make the movie not just entertainment but a worldwide phenomenon.
Smith’s efforts to top Cruise didn’t just make headlines—they made history. His memoir Will is now out for anyone who wants to dive deeper into his journey to the top. Spoiler alert: while Cruise might still be a cyborg, Smith clearly found his own way to leave a mark.
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