Will Smith used to pick films which would elevate his movie star status.
The ‘Concussion’ star admits he used to select movies that would help increase his fame as his "focus shifted from my artistry to winning".
He said: "I had so much success that I started to taste global blood and my focus shifted from my artistry to winning.
"I wanted to win and be the biggest movie star, and what happened was there was a lag – around Wild Wild West time – I found myself promoting something because I wanted to win versus promoting something because I believed in it."
And the 47-year-old actor – who has Trey, 23, from a previous relationship and Jaden, 17, and Willow, 15, with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith – insists "smoke and mirrors in marketing" doesn’t work for films anymore because of the rise of social media.
Speaking at the Cannes Lions advertising festival, he added: "Smoke and mirrors in marketing and sales is over. People are going to know really quickly and globally whether a product keeps its promises. Back in the ’80s and ’90s you had a piece of c**p movie, you put a trailer with a lot of explosions and it was Wednesday before people knew your movie was s**t …
"But now what happens is 10 minutes into the movie, people are tweeting, ‘This is s**t, go see Vin Diesel.’"
Meanwhile, Will previously revealed he was inspired to become an actor because an ex-girlfriend cheated on him.
He said: "When I was 15, my girlfriend cheated on me. And from that moment, in this bizarre psychological twist, I wanted to be the most famous entertainer on Earth."
Will Smith: I used to pick movies which would make me famous
