If you don't already know Justice Smith, you will very soon. The California native had a handful of smaller roles before making a name for himself with his leading role as Ezekiel Figuero in Netflix's hip-hop series The Get Down [1]. Since then, Justice has starred in Pokémon Detective Pikachu, the Jurassic World movie series, and HBO Max's popular Gen-Z dramedy Generation [2]. Since Justice has a few big-time movies coming up — The Voyeurs, Jurassic World: Dominion, and Dungeons & Dragons — you should get ready to see him everywhere. Here's your chance to get to know him better, with a few fun facts you probably didn't know about the 26-year-old.
His Mom Named Him Justice Because She Thought It Would Be "Funny"
With a unique name like Justice, one might expect there to be an exciting story behind the choice. But the Detective Pikachu actor admitted in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel [3] that his mom partially wanted to name him Justice as a joke.
"She thought it was funny," he told Kimmel. "Both my parents are singers, and she thought I was going to be a singer, too, and she wanted to name me something unique like 'Water' or 'Wood' or something like that. I'm happy that she didn't name me Wood!"
His mom clearly had some pretty big dreams for her son, since she thought the name would sound pretty legendary in a crowd. "She was like, 'Oh! I got it. I'm going to name you Justice, so that when he becomes a singer, and the audience is waiting for him, they'll chant 'We want Justice! We want Justice!'" he said.
He Worked a Summer Job at Knott's Berry Farm
Justice grew up in Anaheim, California, which is home to the Disneyland theme park. As a teen, Justice already knew he wanted to be an actor, and hoped to work as a character actor at Disneyland over the summer. He even applied for a job there, but was rejected.
He told Jimmy Kimmel that instead of Disneyland, he worked at Knott's Berry Farm [4], which he jokingly called "Bootleg Disneyland." He wasn't interested in being one of the cowboy or pioneer characters at the park, and instead took visitors' tickets at the park entrance.
His Father Is Not Will Smith
Getting mistaken as actor Will Smith [5]'s son has become commonplace for Justice since he's made a name for himself in Hollywood. In addition to sharing the same last name, Justice's name begins with a J just like Will Smith's actual son Jaden Smith, whom Justice co-starred with on The Get Down. Justice told Jimmy Kimmel that he's faced accusations of nepotism [6] because people have thought that he's The Fresh Prince's son, and even once had an Uber driver who thought he was part of their superstar family.
He Was "Meek" in High School
Justice is often associated with his Generation character Chester's outgoing personality and equally eye-catching outfits [7], but Justice said he didn't share that same sense of confidence [8] when he was in high school. "I was a little more meek," he told ET. "I was experimenting. I didn't really know who I was, and I was trying to figure it out."
He Was in a Relationship With His Queen Sugar Co-Star Nicholas L. Ashe
In 2020, Justice spoke about his queer identity for the first time [9] on social media as well as his relationship with Nicholas L. Ashe, an actor who worked alongside him in the film Queen Sugar. They've since parted ways but have nothing but love for each other, with Justice saying in a 2021 interview that the relationship "really opened [him] up [10] as a person."
He Wore Dirty Sneakers For His First Red Carpet
It's not uncommon for budding Hollywood stars to have to dress themselves sans stylist in the early years of their careers. That was the case for Justice at his first red carpet experience, the 2015 MTV Movie Awards. Without a stylist, Justice had to search through his closet for a red carpet-worthy outfit. "I wore a suit that I found in the back of my closet [11] and some dirty tennis shoes," he told BuzzFeed. "It's on the Internet; it is disgraceful."
He Was Hungover When He Met His Jurassic World Co-Stars
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was the first major blockbuster movie that Justice starred in, but his first day on the project didn't go as planned. When he arrived to the table read, he was nursing a gnarly hangover [12] from a wrap party the night before. "I'm hungover, and I walk into the read-through where I meet Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard and the director [J. A. Bayona] and the producers and everybody," he told BuzzFeed. Not only that, but he was put on the spot and had to act while feeling less than his best.
He Still Drives His Mom's Honda
Justice might be growing in celebrity status, but he's not into being flashy. The Paper Towns actor relies on his mom's silver Honda Accord [13]. It was his first car when he originally started driving and has lasted him all these years.