CANNES LIONS: 'There was a lag and a slump in my #career': #WillSmith admits that his obsession with 'winning' stunted his #Hollywood success

For a man who's been at the forefront of Hollywood consciousness for thirty years, Will Smith has admitted that even he has suffered a 'slump'.

Speaking at Cannes Lions 2016 festival on Tuesday about The Pursuit Of Impact, the 47-year-old confessed that he became so absorbed by the idea of 'winning' that he suffered a 'slump in [his] career.'

'I had so much success that I started to taste global blood,' he explained. 'And my focus shifted from my artistry to winning and I wanted to win and be the biggest movie star in the world.'

'What happened is that there was a lag and a slump in my career where I found myself promoting something because I wanted to win versus promoting something because I believed it was helpful.'

Following the success of The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air in the late Eighties, Will was catapulted into Hollywood and landed such gigs as Independence Day and Men In Black.

Then, in the late Nineties, there was Wild Wild West - a film that he talks about with less fondness.

'I consider myself a marketer,' said Will. 'My career has been strictly being able to sell my products globally, and it's now in the hand of fans. I have to be in tune with their needs and not trick them into going to see Wild Wild West.'