Jada Pinkett Smith ‘not built for conventional marriage’

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

August 20, 2019 at 11:41

Jada Pinkett Smith, 47, and Will Smith, 50, have been open about their unusual marriage. Picture: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards.Source:Getty Images

Married for more than two decades, Jada Pinkett Smith has opened up about how she has made her unusual union with Will Smith work.

Jada Pinkett Smith says she always knew her marriage to husband Will Smith would have to be unconventional for her to stay in it.

The Red Table Talk host has been radically open in the past about her marriage to the Suicide Squad actor, including revelations about “betrayals of the heart” and figuring out how to be individuals without making the other feel abandoned.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Pinkett Smith once again discussed her marriage and how she always knew that she wasn’t capable of fitting into the conventional “wife” role.

“I knew that I was not built for conventional marriage,” she told the outlet. “Even the word ‘wife’: it’s a golden cage, swallow the key.

Jada Pinkett Smith, 47, and Will Smith, 50, have been open about their unusual marriage. Picture: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards.Source:Getty Images

“Even before I was married, I was like, ‘That’ll kill me.’ And it damn near did! So why wouldn’t you share what you’ve been through, when you see that other people are out there, trying to figure this crap out?

“We decided to make it public because it’s part of the healing. I feel like if we don’t have (a) real understanding about it, I don’t know if interpersonal relationships are possible.”

Although she routinely talks about how she and Smith don’t fall into traditional marriage roles, she took a moment to note to the outlet that she still believes he’s the person she wants to spend her life with, no matter how unconventionally.

“Will is my life partner and I could not ask for a better one,” she said. “I adore him, I never want people to think it was Will I didn’t want to marry — he and I were talking about this the other day.

Pinkett Smith says she could never be a typical wife to Smith. Picture: Tim Hunter.Source:News Corp Australia

“But I can assure you that some of the most powerful women in the world feel caged and tied, because of the sacrifices they have to make to be in that position.

“So I wanted to talk about how we really feel about marriage. How do we really feel about different, unconventional relationships? How do we really feel about raising children? Honestly.”

Pinkett Smith previously discussed how having radically candid conversations with her family, both privately and by way of Red Table Talk, helped her grapple with some of the larger issues in her life as she approached 40.

“You realise that you need different things in order to be happy. That was across my whole life personally and professionally,” she previously explained. “I’m in a really good place and this particular program has really helped my own personal self-growth as well.”

Speaking more specifically about Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith explained: “I’m very lucky that I have really difficult, transparent conversations with my family.”

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission