Will Smith considers changing his name after discovering surprise connection

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

Will Smith has teased a dramatic name change after learning he has multiple connections to Welsh culture.
The actor, 56, joined host Lucy Owens on BBC Radio Wales to discuss a series of links to the country in Great Britain.
Owens explained to the star that where he grew up in Wynnefield, Philadelphia, is actually named after Welsh physician Dr. Thomas Wynne.
She also revealed that his mother's hometown of Bryn Mawr, Philadelphia, was named by 17th-century Welsh Quakers, per Entertainment Weekly.
'So I'm Welsh?' Smith asked excitedly, 'I'm Welsh, basically.'
Owens joked in response: 'Yes, Will! You are Welsh and we are claiming you.'
The actor quickly decided he was a fan of his new heritage and pondered a name change.
'That might be my new name,' Smith laughed. 'Welsh Smith. I'm gonna be Welsh Smith.'
Owens then shared that Bryn Mawr, where Smith's mother still lives, translates to 'big hill' in Welsh.
This, once again, excited the guest: 'Big Will lives in Big Hill. This is crazy.'
The host then joked that the Men in Black actor could turn the newfound information into a rap and Smith gave it an impromptu try, rapping, 'Big hill, big Will — big still!'
Will is currently touring his newest album, titled Based on a True Story, which is his first full-length album of his own since 2005's Lost and Found.
The singer has a performance set for Cardiff Castle on August 25, only days after Welsh performer Sir Tom Jones.
Will and Tom shared the screen on the '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
'It was magnificent. When somebody with that kind of iconic status just walks into the room — he walked onto the set and you just get that [gasp], that thing when the audience recognizes what's happening,' Will recalled.
'It was one of the classic moments on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.'
The singer teased a tribute to Sir Tom in his Cardiff show: 'There's a part in my show where we celebrate his connection to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.'
In another recent interview, Will opened up about the infamous moment he slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
He reflected on the incident - where he struck Chris, 60, on stage over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, which was due to her alopecia diagnosis.
Now, nearly three years later, Will has described the incident as 'bruitiful' – a blend of brutal and beautiful – as he spoke about authenticity, personal growth, and how the fallout reshaped his perspective.
Appearing on Radio 1Xtra with host Remi Burgz on Tuesday, he said: 'Finding that way to be with my own humanity - be able to not be perfect but be human and find a higher power in my humanity that I found in my constellation of ideas of perfection that we called Will Smith.
'The fullness of who I am to allow that to be better than Will Smith.
'The honesty and authenticity and the broader spectrum of the possibilities of who I am is better than Will Smith.
'Working in that space of authenticity and honesty and perfection.
'Allowing that to grow into a higher perfection than the imagery of Will Smith is where I am as an artist and human right now.'