My skin is hard when it comes to my music. But with my movies, I’m still a virgin in a lot of ways. I’m not used to being shot down for no reason.

Will Smith contrasts two phases of his public life: music, where repeated exposure to criticism has toughened him, and film, where he still feels comparatively new and vulnerable. The metaphor of being a “virgin” underscores inexperience—not in craft, but in emotional calluses and in navigating an industry’s gatekeeping. “Shot down for no reason” points to the arbitrariness of rejection in Hollywood, where decisions can hinge on market calculations, timing, or perception rather than merit. The quote captures a broader theme in celebrity labor: success in one medium doesn’t immunize an artist from insecurity when entering another, and resilience is often domain-specific.