Jurnee Smollett on Whether She Wants Her Son to Follow in Her Acting Footsteps: 'I Get Asked This a Lot' (Exclusive)

Jurnee Smollett’s astir important domiciled is being a supportive mom.

Formerly a kid actor, Smollett, 38, tells PEOPLE that she and her 5 siblings each “just benignant of fell into” nan section and ne'er knew a life that was immoderate different. Now that she has a boy of her own, 8-year-old Hunter, whom she shares pinch her ex-husband Josiah Bell, she says she has begun to spot him return an liking successful nan trade arsenic well.

“He loves it,” she admits. “I was conscionable signaling thing yesterday, and he was pinch me. And he was conscionable hanging retired and everyone was truthful impressed that he was capable to beryllium quiet, and he said to them, ‘I grew up connected sets.’ And it's true."

"He's now astatine an property wherever he's capable to watch nan show — if nan segment is appropriate, obviously," she continues. "And he'll beryllium asking nan writers, ‘Well, what happens successful section 3? Well, okay, but past what happens?’ And sometimes he comes location pinch things that are happening aliases places they scheme to return nan characteristic that I don't moreover cognize about.”

Smollett says Hunter enjoys each nan behind-the-scenes elements of shows and movies and is fascinated by “the magic of cinema.”

“He keeps asking to beryllium thrown into it,” she reveals. “So, sometimes nan directors, they'll conscionable propulsion him successful nan background, and I'm like, ‘What is my boy doing?’”

That happened precocious while nan character was filming her latest project, successful which she plays an arson interrogator successful nan AppleTV+ crime drama Smoke. She says Hunter makes a cameo successful nan inheritance of a kid's day statement segment successful section 3.

Despite his curiosity astir nan intermezo industry, Smollett doesn’t want Hunter to consciousness unit to travel successful her footsteps.

“I get asked this mobility a lot,” she notes. “I don't cognize that I would fto him audition erstwhile he was young aliases do nan full hustle. I deliberation I'd promote him to study it, return classes and workshops. But my extremity is to expose him to arsenic galore different fields and spot what sticks. He plays hoops and baseball, loves sports. He's excelling astatine math. I mean, he tin do mathematics measurement higher than his people level and loves science, truthful he's ever making subject experiments astir nan location pinch immoderate baking soda and vinegar and different ingredients.”

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“I deliberation it's earthy if he's astir mommy telling stories that there's a bully chance he'll want to spell into it, but I besides want him to person options,” she adds.

Smollett was successful beforehand of cameras starting erstwhile she was 10 months old.

Looking backmost to erstwhile she was Hunter’s age, Smollett was already known for playing Denise, nan champion friend of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's Michelle Tanner, successful Full House. However, she says that she hadn’t felt “that creator high” that comes from connecting pinch her characters until she sewage older.

“It wasn't until I did Eve's Bayou, erstwhile I was 10 years aged pinch Samuel Jackson that I fell successful emotion pinch nan craft,” she recalls of nan movie that won her a Critics’ Choice Award successful 1998. “I deliberation anterior to that it was nosy nan measurement Little League is nosy for kids aliases nan measurement you'll put your kid successful ballet people and they emotion to dance.”

Smoke is now streaming connected Apple TV+ pinch caller episodes dropping play connected Fridays.