Will

Smith does not understand why his life is falling apart again. He contacts Tanya and asks her if he can go to Trinidad with Scoty, her husband. Scoty assures Smith that he does not need security in Trinidad, but the airport is chaotic with fans when they land. Eventually, they manage to leave the airport, and Scoty takes Smith to an art show. Crowds descend on the art show as well. 

Smith stays with the Lovelace family. This is odd for him because he always needs advance plans due to his status as a global icon. The next day, they get on a yacht, and Smith feels uncomfortable when he finds out that they are all just going to hang out in the water with no specific plans. He realizes that he has become addicted to work, and he starts to wonder when his accomplishments will ever be enough. He realizes that he never leaves breaks or gaps in anything because he fears these gaps. He leaves Trinidad knowing that some unknown thing is missing in his life. He decides to do a Vipassana, “a ten-day silent retreat,” but instead of 10 days, he decides to do 14 days in a house in Utah (372). He realizes that no one will want to be around him if he does not even want to be around himself.

Smith starts seeing a therapist, Michaela Boehm. She asks him what would make him happy, and he says if he could have anything, he would have a harem. She then asks him who would be in this group, and she tells him that he needs women in it for more than just sex. Over the next couple of days, he realizes that he could never keep a harem satisfied if he cannot keep a single woman happy. He tells Michaela that he had believed that with a harem, he would always have at least one woman who approved of him, but she tells him that living for the approval of someone else means that he will never find freedom. She starts to call the people-pleasing part of him Uncle Fluffy, and she urges Smith to find the part of himself that does not need the approval of others. There is another part of Smith’s character that Micheala calls the General who occasionally shows up and confuses people who are expecting Uncle Fluffy. 

Smith tries to learn that it is okay to say no. One day, he is at the Cannes Film Festival, and he has a short break. He is determined to work out during that break to clear his mind, but a man comes up to him and asks him to speak into his camera for his cousin who is a big fan and has Down Syndrome. Smith stands his ground and says no. The man is hurt, and this hurt compels Smith to go up into his room and cry.

While Smith does not do drugs and barely drinks, a friend, Veronica, convinces him to do ayahuasca. The medication is supposed to help with whatever issues a person is dealing with. It is usually recommended for people with post-traumatic stress disorder and other afflictions, and it is not to be used without a professional. He goes into a small cabin and is anxious to find out what is about to happen, but the woman there tells him that he will be led. He takes the drink, and nothing happens until he decides to fall asleep. Then, he feels like he is under a huge starry sky, and it is beautiful. A voice tells him that this is not a place; rather, it is him. This leads him to realize how beautiful he is, and he is released from feeling like he needs to earn love. He does 14 ayahuasca ceremonies in two years.

Smith learns that his father only has weeks left to live, so he goes home to be with him. Three weeks after the diagnosis, Smith tells his father that he did a good job as a parent and that he will take care of all of the people Daddio will leave behind. One night, when Smith is wheeling his father by the stairs, he remembers his childhood wish to avenge his mother’s injuries at the hands of his father. He realizes that he could push his father down the stairs, and no one would ever suspect he did it. He does not do this. 

Eventually, Smith receives a call on set informing him that his father is about to die. Smith puts his father on Facetime. Smith realizes that his father’s main consideration during his final days is whether he lived a useful life. When Gigi died, she was excited to go to heaven because she spent her whole life loving people, and she knew God was love. From Gigi, Smith learned that nobody can fill a hole for another person. All that can fill that hole is loving other people well. It is about giving rather than about receiving. Daddio learns this lesson in his final moments. 

Jada and Smith attend the funeral. The two realize that marriage is where people learn how to love. It requires bravery, and bravery means moving forward even when there is fear. Jada and Will decide to stay together forever.

Smith decides that for his 50th birthday, he is going to bungee jump out of a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. This is more dangerous than normal bungee jumping. It will be streamed on YouTube. He invites the people who mean the most to him to witness the event. He begins to worry that his children will watch him die during the stunt, and he is afraid. He jumps.