Will Smith returned to the neighborhood of West Philadelphia, where he was born and raised, for a street renaming ceremony on Wednesday.
Located next to his alma mater Overbrook High School, the 2000 block of North 59th Street will now be known as "Will Smith Way." Smith, along with Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker and other city officials, were in attendance for the ceremony where he reminisced about his younger years and reflecting on what the street name means to him.
"When I thought about the 'Will Smith Way,' I thought about my mother, my father, and my grandmother," he said. "When I thought about the 'Will Smith Way,' the 'Will Smith Way' is encompassed in the lessons that I got from my father, my mother, and my grandfather."
Smith said his father taught him the importance of hard work and discipline. "You can't make a life if you're not willing to sacrifice and you're not to suffer and work for your dreams," he said.
The actor also credits the city of Philadelphia for giving him the necessary tools to succeed. "Nobody gets an easy ride,” he said. “That was one of the things these streets of Philadelphia taught me: that there's nothing wrong with a hard day's work."
"Philly, I love you," he concluded. "I am yours, you are mine."
In an interview with Associated Press earlier this week, Will Smith reflected on the 10-year Oscars ban he received after he slapped Chris Rock during the ceremony. "I am looking to be the best human I can possibly be, and I'm gonna take what I get with that," he said.