--- description: He had a "bizarre psychological twist" title: Will Smith Says He's Famous Thanks to a Cheating Ex-Girlfriend image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8915dc6fc16c9a29/698873b8524fc0651adf5c07/gettyimages-499192312.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Will Smith Says He's Famous Thanks to a Cheating Ex-Girlfriend by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 3, 2015 8:51 PM CUT  ctor Will Smith attends a screening of "Concussion" at Regency Village Theatre on November 23, 2015 in Westwood, California. ctor Will Smith attends a screening of "Concussion" at Regency Village Theatre on November 23, 2015 in Westwood, California.Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 3, 2015 8:51 PM CUT Will Smith has revealed the secret behind his fame and success: an unfaithful ex. In [an interview](http://variety.com/2015/film/awards/benicio-del-toro-will-smith-concussion-sicario-1201650360/ "undefined") for _Variety_’s “Actors on Actors” special, the 47-year-old told fellow actor Benicio Del Toro that teenage heartbreak is what ultimately inspired him to go into show business. “When I was 15, my girlfriend cheated on me,” Smith says. “And from that moment, in this bizarre psychological twist, I wanted to be the most famous entertainer on Earth, because I believed that your girlfriend couldn’t cheat on you.” He added that it was a “really bizarre psychological leap” and he looks for that similar experience in his characters. In his newest film, _Concussion,_ Smith plays forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, who studies brain trauma in professional football players. _Read next:_ [_The_](http://time.com/4021944/quincy-jones-borowitz-fresh-prince-bel-air-anniversary/ "undefined")[ Fresh Prince _Turns 25: The Show’s Creators on Will Smith, Reboots and Race_](http://time.com/4021944/quincy-jones-borowitz-fresh-prince-bel-air-anniversary/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4135239/will-smith-ex-girlfriend-fame/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4135239/will-smith-ex-girlfriend-fame/"},"headline":"Will Smith Says He's Famous Thanks to a Cheating Ex-Girlfriend","datePublished":"2015-12-03T20:51:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:27:21.180Z","description":"He had a \"bizarre psychological twist\"","url":"https://time.com/4135239/will-smith-ex-girlfriend-fame/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrity"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8915dc6fc16c9a29/698873b8524fc0651adf5c07/gettyimages-499192312.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8915dc6fc16c9a29/698873b8524fc0651adf5c07/gettyimages-499192312.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Screening Of Columbia Pictures' \"Concussion\" - Arrivals","caption":"Screening Of Columbia Pictures' \"Concussion\" - Arrivals","creditText":"Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4135239/will-smith-ex-girlfriend-fame/","name":"Will Smith Says He's Famous Thanks to a Cheating Ex-Girlfriend"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The 10 Greatest Movies of the Millennium (Thus Far)","description":"TIME movie critic, Richard Corliss lists his top films of the millennium (Thus Far). 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