Will Smith, Once Bankrupt, Gave Up His 40 Million Bonus to Compensate ‘King Richard’ Co-Stars

Will Smith didn’t always have money and fame, and whatever he has now he worked hard for. Will started working on rap songs, his first passion, when he was just 12 years old. He never stopped believing in himself, and even rejected an MIT offer to pursue music. Will’s inspirational story didn’t stop with his breakthrough role on Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. Along his journey, he’s known defeat and bankruptcy.

Most recently Will Smith produced and starred in the upcoming King Richard movie. He plays the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. When the movie was taken down from theatres to HBO, Will took it upon himself to hand out his own money to his co-stars, here’s how it went down.

The Movie Was Supposed To Have A Theatrical Release

Krists Luhaers / Unsplash

Krists Luhaers / Unsplash

It all started when WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar chose to launch the movie both in theatres and on HBO Max simultaneously.

This meant that the cast and many working for the movie would experience a financial loss in theatrical returns.