‘Legend’ premiere has that Smith family vibe

By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY

•On screen: Will Smith’s I Am Legend, opening Dec. 14, got a supersized premiere Tuesday night at a packed Madison Square Garden theater. In Legend, Smith is a scientist who survives a virus that wipes out New York City and is seeking a cure to reverse the plague. The film was shot on location. Son Jaden, 9, played Smith’s kid in last year’s The Pursuit of Happyness, and daughter Willow, 7, makes her film debut in Legend as his child.

•On the carpet: Smith talked about the film not yet being approved in China. “It’s too big a part of the world to not have a Will Smith movie.”

He and wife Jada Pinkett Smith celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary Dec. 31. To mark the occasion, “we said we’d give each other a high-five, say ‘Happy 10th’ and keep moving,” she said.

Close pal Tom Cruise showed up at the Garden. Said Smith: “That’s my man right there. I love the support.” He noted earlier that Cruise looked at the Legend script and gave him pages of notes. But Cruise clarified: “We work together on things. He doesn’t need any help.”

•From the mouths of babes: If she had New York all to herself, “I’d do everything I could,” Willow said. “I’d eat ice cream whenever I want and eat frosting with carrots.” (Source: USA Today)