In his 2021 memoir, Will recalled Jaden asking the question at 15 years old after he was widely mocked and criticized for his appearance in the 2013 film After Earth alongside his dad. 

“After Earth was an abysmal box office and critical failure,” Will wrote. “And what was worse was that Jaden took the hit.”

“Fans and the press were absolutely vicious; they said and printed things about Jaden that I refuse to repeat. Jaden had faithfully done everything that I’d instructed him to do, and I had coached him into the worst public mauling he’d ever experienced,” he continued.

“At 15 years old, when Jaden asked about being an emancipated minor, my heart shattered. He ultimately decided against it, but it sucks to feel like you’ve hurt your kids,” Will added.