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For the first time in the two decades since the music of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince made him an international star, there are no albums to release, no TV shows to star in (or executive produce), no Oscar-baiting dramas or 4th of July blockbusters to promote.

After saving the world from alien invasions (Independence Day, Men In Black), robots (I, Robot), zombies (I Am Legend) and criminals (Hancock), not to mention becoming the first actor in history to have eight consecutive films gross more than $100 million domestically, Hollywood's hottest action hero has earned the right to take a breather. And yet, strangely, the Smith family on the whole has never been busier.

In an era where celebs like Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck and Johnny Depp do everything in their power to protect their children from the prying eyes of the paparazzi, Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are the rare actors who have actually encouraged their kids to embrace the Hollywood spotlight.

Son Jaden (who turns 11 in July) and 8-year-old daughter Willow have willingly pursued the family business. Jaden made his big-screen debut in The Pursuit of Happyness and starred in The Day The Earth Stood Still; up next is the lead in the forthcoming Karate Kid remake. And Willow recently appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl and lent her voice to Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

"Jada and I talk about the age-old debate of nature versus nurture. If two actors have a baby, does that make the baby an actor?" Will asks. "Or did they grow up in a house where that is just the life, and that's the experience they know?"

While it was the success of films like Independence Day and Men In Black that made the Philly native one of the most powerful actors in Hollywood, he's the first to admit that it's his marriage to Jada that ultimately made him a stronger man. The duo met when she auditioned for a role on his breakthrough sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," but it wasn't until after Will's divorce from his first wife in 1995 that they discovered their romantic connection. Married on New Year's Eve in 1997, they remain one of Hollywood's most devoted couples.

"I really believe that a man and a woman, together, raising a family, is the purest form of happiness we can experience," Will says. "You're so much stronger when your partner is strong. I honestly believe there is no woman for me but Jada. Of all the women I've met, and there have been a few, no one can handle me the way Jada does. This is it. I can't imagine what anyone else could offer."

Though each of them was a star in their own right before tying the knot, together they've proven an unstoppable force, with Jada appearing in The Matrix sequels and Collateral, and now starring in her own TNT series, "Hawthorne." While successful Hollywood duos are nothing new - Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - the Smiths are one of the few families in which almost every member has proven successful as an actor. (Aside from a guest spot on "All of Us" in 2003, oldest son Trey from Will's first marriage hasn't pursued acting - yet.)

Will and Jada didn't push Jaden or Willow into acting. As Will recalls, "One night, Jada and I were lying in bed reading the script for The Pursuit of Happyness. Jaden comes crawling between us and says, 'Tell me the story, Daddy.' I tell him, and he says, 'Pshaw, I could do that!' We do short films around the house, and he was familiar with the process, so Jada took him in the next week to set up an audition. There were 100 kids, then 50 and 20, and he was still there. [Director] Gabriele Muccino fell in love with him."

Jaden ultimately landed the role as Will's son and wound up teaching his father a thing or two in the process. "My entire approach to acting was forever changed after working with him," Will says. "I was reading Zen in the Art of Archery while working on the film, and there's an idea that you discover the connection between yourself and your goals more easily when you discover it in a childlike manner. I started watching him, and I realized that I have a lot of different roles: I'm a producer, I'm Will, I'm a movie star, and I'm all of that stuff in the scene. Jaden is just a character. It's a block I've had in my career for years, and that movie was the first time I felt free of that. I'm extremely excited about it and happy to have my son show me the way."

But Will wasn't the only Smith inspired by Jaden's natural talent. Willow was intent to follow in her brother's footsteps, and she ultimately landed a debut role in I Am Legend when she was just six.

So how do the Smith offspring compare? "Jaden is like Johnny Depp," Will says. "He loves acting and just wants to do good work. He doesn't care what money he gets, and doesn't care if people see it or not. Willow is like Paris Hilton - she wants to be on TV. You kind of don't work with Willow; you work for Willow. She has a drive and an energy, and just connects to human emotions. So we're managing both of those in our household."

In keeping with his humble roots from the suburbs of Philadelphia (where he was raised by a school administrator mother and refrigeration engineer father), Will is determined to keep his family grounded despite their material wealth and fame. He insists that Jaden and Willow audition for roles rather than relying on nepotism, and encourages them to see the world through eyes of those less fortunate.

"We live in La-la-land," he says, "which is cut off from the rest of the world. Traveling is hugely important for our kids to see and experience other things. We've taken them to South Africa and Italy to get them to experience how other people live. The idea of being grounded is more of a concept of how you relate to your service of mankind, and that is what we try to impart to our children. You are part of a whole, and you have a responsibility to uplift and be a positive influence on the whole."

Will brings positive energy to everything he does - his broad smiles and hearty, infectious laughter are evident not just on-screen and during public appearances, but even when away from the camera's gaze. He also exhibits an intellectual depth that sees him referencing everything from Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth to Jungian philosophy and the Declaration of Independence over the course of a 30-minute conversation. It's an endearing combination of personality traits that has made Will a favorite with everyone from co-stars to famous admirers such as President Barack Obama (who has said that Will would be perfect to play him in a movie).

"In order for my creative mind to be engaged 100%," Will says, "I need everybody in the vicinity to be in a good mood. Negative energy pulls on me creatively, so if someone's having a bad day, I find myself telling some jokes. It seems like this beautiful, selfless act, when in actuality a huge part of it is very selfish and needy."

Perhaps, but this eagerness to please has also made the artist formerly known as the Fresh Prince one of the world's most popular entertainers, racking up accolades ranging from the first Grammy awarded for Best Rap Performance (for "Parents Just Don't Understand") to Oscar nominations for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. According to Forbes magazine, he's also the most bankable, with his films averaging $10 for every $1 he's paid. Still, there's at least one actor who has no interest in co-starring with Will anytime soon.

"Jada prefers not to work with me," he says. "I'm like, 'You know, baby, the last take… Well, why don't you try it like this?' She's like, 'Boy, you worry about you and I'll worry about me!' We worked on Ali together, and we're trying to keep a happy home."

Maybe that explains why, as Jada, Jaden and Willow continue to carve out successful careers, Will's calendar is empty. For the moment, he's happy to spend time with his family and drop by their a movie sets. "There's nothing more comfortable for an actor than being on somebody else's movie set and not having to work," he says. "It's like you wanna be away from your movie set, but for some reason you want to be on a movie set. That really signals 'vacation,' when you don't have to do anything but go to craft services."

Is this a sign that Will is taking a permanent vacation? Probably not, as the internet has been abuzz with rumors of his involvement in sequels to Hancock and Men In Black, the horror flick Monster Hunter (from the writers of Cars) and the long-awaited Captain America film. But for now, Will is enjoying some down time, confident that the family acting legacy is in very capable hands.

ON RELIGION

"I don't necessarily believe in organized religion. I was raised in a Baptist household, went to a Catholic church, lived in a Jewish neighborhood, and had the biggest crush on the Muslim girls from one neighborhood over. Tom [Cruise] introduced me to the ideas [of Scientology]. I'm a student of world religion, so to me, it's hugely important to have knowledge and to understand what people are doing. Wha t are all the big ideas? What are people talking about? I believe that my connection to my higher power is separate from everybody else's. I don't believe that Muslims have all the answers. I don't believe Christians have all the answers, or Jews have all the answers. I lov e my God, my higher power, but it's mine and mine alone. I create my connection and I decide how my connection is going to be."

ON BEING A HERO IN REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS

"What is interesting about playing [heroes] is you get to explore and wonder how you would react. For me, this happened the most while filming Ali. When Ali didn't step forward because they wouldn't call him Muhammad Ali, and he knew he was going to jail, he knew what the situation was going to be, but still he couldn't step forward. I just remember thinking, in that moment, 'What would I do?' I just don't know if I would be man enough to give up everything I have right now, the way Ali did, for that principle. I like to believe that I would put my chest up and stand forward, just march on and continue to fight for the future of humanity. You want to be tested to know what you would do, but at [the same time] you really don't want to be tested."

ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH WIFE JADA PINKETT-SMITH

"When Jada and I got together, there were a whole lot of obstacles lined up for us. There's no reason for us to have been successful in our relationship. We always say, 'Divorce can't be an option.' Because if you allow divorce to be an option, there's absolutely one day when you'll check that box. That's not one of the choices we have, no matter what happens."

ON NO LONGER BEING CALLED THE FRESH PRINCE

"On July 6, 1996, 'The Fresh Prince' stopped. The Monday after Independence Day came out (on July 3, 1996) was the first time anyone called me Mr. Smith. All through 'The Fresh Prince,' all through the music, it was 'Fresh Prince.' And that morning, when the box office numbers came out, it was 'Good morning, Mr. Smith.' It was so bizarre."

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