Familiar with Fame
Jada Pinkett Smith isn’t new to the spotlight. By the time she met Will Smith, the two were both A-list celebrities and were as well known as you can possibly get in Hollywood. She started out at the Baltimore School for the Arts and studied theater and dance there. One of her classmates ended up becoming a legendary rapper, she became great friends with that classmate.
His name was Tupac Shakur, and the two developed a great relationship together. By the time Jada graduated in 1989, she was already a known actress in Hollywood.
An Important Discussion
Jada was hosting an episode of her popular Facebook Watch show, Red Table Talk that hosted her usual guests including her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, and her daughter, Willow. The three women often discussed various issues, from relevant happenings in culture to a variety of important topics.
That day’s episode was centered around the topic of insecurities, which prompted the actress to make an important and brave decision.
A Huge Insecurity
Jada Smith knew that talking about insecurities with her family in this public discussion would require her to be upfront about her insecurities as-well. Her biggest insecurity was hiding behind her decision to wear a turban, which made this topic come too close to heart for the passionate host.
She felt that it would be hypocritical of her not to open up about her biggest insecurity, so she finally revealed the emotional truth behind her new fashion choice.
Climbing Up The TV Ranks
She began by acting in small TV parts in shows and films such as True Colors, 21 Jump Street and Doogie Howser, M.D.. The actress found herself acting in her first proper and unique role when she portrayed Lena James in A Different World.
The sitcom show was a spinoff of the popular "Cosby Show", and featured a diverse cast of largely African-American actors. It ran on ABC from 1987 until 1993.
Jada and Murphy
Jada’s real breakthrough as an actress came in 1996 when she starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the super popular comedy film, The Nutty Professor. In the film, Jada played Carla Purty, wife of Prof. Sherman Klump, a sweet, shy chemistry professor who has an assertive, brash and aggressive alter ego called Buddy Love.
The aspiring actress also appeared that year in the popular crime action heist film Set It Off, which literally helped set off her acting career.