Will Smith Explains Why He Decided to Write a Memoir at Event Hosted by Idris Elba

Will Smith is celebrating the release of his new book, WILL!

The 53-year-old actor hung out with fans at the event WILL: An Evening of Stories with Friends hosted by pal Idris Elba on Thursday (November 18) at The Savoy Theatre in London, England.

During their chat on stage, Idris, 48, asked Will why he decided to finally write a memoir.

Click inside to find out what Will said…

“This was the first time when I [felt I] experienced enough, suffered enough and solved enough problems in my life…in order for it to be helpful,” Will shared, via The Independent. “It was the first time I felt like I could say things with an earned emotional authority that I thought could be helpful.”

Will also explained how his dad’s death impacted his decision to share his life story now.

“My father died in 2016. There were things in my childhood that I never would have shared while he was alive,” Will explained. “I felt handcuffed in a way that I couldn’t share my full truth. He was one of the greatest men I’d ever known…but there were flaws.”

In the book, which is out now, Will talked about how his son Jaden asked to be an emancipated minor at 15.