Will Smith admitted Willow "really tested" him after she became famous.
The 50-year-old father of three described the year 2012 as a "mutiny" led by his daughter, now 18, after the success of her hit single ‘Whip My Hair’.
Speaking to Haute Living, he said: "She really tested me. She was like, no she didn’t want to.
"She was done with ‘Whip My Hair.’ She was done with performing, and as a protest, she shaved her head bald.
"That was really the first time that I realised that my family wasn’t happy with the direction that I was taking them."
Will explained how he took pointers from the way his own father – Willard Carroll Smith, Sr. – was inspired by his Air Force background when it came to his leadership style.
However, Willow’s rebellion meant the actor – who also has sons Trey, 26, and Jaden, 20, with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith – "lightened up" and changed his own perspective.
He added: "Willow was really the first person during ‘Whip My Hair’ that decided she didn’t want to do what I said.
"Because she was the baby girl, she really had the most power over me. As a man – if your daughter says no, there’s really nothing you can do."
Will’s own comments come after his daughter recently admitted she had to learn how to "forgive" her parents after her early success.
She explained: "I definitely had to forgive you and daddy for that whole ‘Whip My Hair’ thing. It was mostly daddy because he was so harsh at certain times.
"It was a couple of years, honestly. Trying to regain trust for not feeling like I was being listened to or like no one cared how I felt.
"And I had to forgive myself because I felt guilty because everyone is trying to make me better, trying to make my dream. But I didn’t really understand what my dream entailed."
Will Smith says Willow ‘really tested’ him
