Will and Jada’s boy is the most bankable kid in Tinseltown. He’s not old enough to drive and he’s so pint-sized, we doubt he can even reach the pedals, but at the ripe old age of 12, Jaden Smith has become the highest-paid child star in Hollywood, raking in an estimated $3 million from his role in 2010′s The Karate Kid, a remake of Ralph Macchio’s 1984 sleeper hit.
Jaden was paid an upfront fee of $1 million to star in the film and has since made another $2 million in royalties after the film grossed more than $150 million at the box office.
The young actor spent the summer of 2009 in China training with martial arts experts from co-star Jackie Chan’s personal stunt team before shooting the action film. He was such a natural that Chan encouraged him to keep at it.
“After the movie, I told Will, ‘Don’t waste his talent; he’s just so good.’ He’s (Jaden) still training every day…”
Jaden began acting alongside his dad in the films The Pursuit of Happyness and the disaster I Am Legend. Since filming The Karate Kid at 10, he’s gone on to appear in the smash Justin Bieber biopic Never Say Never. The preteen will next be seen on the silver screen again when he teams up with Will and Hollywood director M. Night Shayamalan for a new sci-fi flick expected to open in 2012.