Jada's Womanly Wisdom
She may be Mrs. Will Smith, but Jada Pinkett-Smith isn't content to sit back and spend the Fresh Prince's I, Robot millions. That's because her late granny, who was a social worker, taught her to be an independent woman.
"My grandmother told me, 'Jada educate yourself. Never depend on your looks. You're not a bad-looking girl, but that's not gonna get you through this world. You have to be intelligent, and you have to stand on integrity, ethics and morals,'" the Collateral costar recalls. "But it was less what she said than my observing how she lived her life. She was a strong woman who didn't have to work, but she did because she felt women always have to be economically independent.
"That is what I still do, too," Pinkett-Smith laughs, "even though many people would say, 'Why do you still work?' I need to do that for myself."
In her career, she's taken it upon herself to act as a role model, which is why you don't see her playing typical bad girls and hos. "Unfortunately, I've limited myself to that as an actress," she says. "I say that from a creative standpoint. I wouldn't recommend that for most women who call themselves actresses, because you're supposed to take on a character without any real personal connection. But for me, I just feel my spirit won't allow me to take roles that don't hold women to a high standard. I want my art to represent females of all colors, especially my sisters."
Speaking of girl power, Pinkett-Smith's band, Wicked Wisdom, just finished touring with Britney Spears in Europe. They opened the pop tart's shows for two weeks. "Britney was so generous," says the actress-singer. "She hadn't heard a song or seen nothin', but she was cool with me opening for her. My kids were my lil' backup dancers so they could be included. They asked me to extend [my tour dates], but I had to get back to America and work."
Stateside, she's been very busy helping out with Rock the Vote, and it's no secret she's a Kerry supporter. "There's a myth in the African-American community that our vote doesn't count," she sighs. "We're trying to break that myth. If you're not going to be involved, then you're right: You don't matter. And at this particular point in time, you better wanna matter."
