Even Will Smith can't always be number one.  

The "Focus" star is getting super candid in the March issue of Esquire magazine, where he reflects on his career, reveals his most painful failure and how his famous kids handle being in the public eye.  

The father-of-three has enjoyed a very long and successful career with many box office hits, but that doesn't mean he's immune to a flop or two. Will revealed to the mag that the biggest failure of his career, "After Earth," wasn't even about him, but his son.  

"That was the most painful failure in my career," he shared. "Wild Wild West" was less painful than "After Earth" because my son was involved in "After Earth" and I led him into it."

The Philadelphia native's defeat was short lived though. When he learned his father had been diagnosed with cancer, that put everything into perspective for him.  

"You can’t win enough, you can’t have enough money, you can’t succeed enough. The only thing that will ever satiate that existential thirst is love," he added.  

"And I just remember that day I made the shift from wanting to be a winner to wanting to have the most powerful, deep, and beautiful relationships I could possibly have."