AceShowbiz - Jada Pinkett Smith feels comfortable in her own skin. The 51-year-old actress - who is married to fellow Hollywood star Will Smith - says she's no longer fretting about external gossip.

"When you think about how people get a little older, and say what they need to say without a filter - they've earned that. When you get to my age, you get so settled in your skin, so comfortable in the knowingness of you, that you don't get concerned about what other people have to say. The elders earn that," she explained.

Despite this, Jada acknowledges that she's been forced to make some compromises during her time in the movie business. She told the Guardian newspaper, "There are always those compromises you make that you hope don't totally pull you away from your roots. That's the difference between being confused, or being swallowed by becoming someone else to get what you need. It's about being clear who you are."

Jada has encountered people who have felt "threatened" by her "blackness" during the course of her career. The actress - who has been married to Will since 1997 - explained, "I think every woman has to find her own solutions. Even something as simple as coming into the game at such a young age, and how I had to navigate the necessity to be 'less black.' "

"How do you navigate people being threatened by your blackness? Having to really not take it personally and understanding, 'OK, this is the land I'm in right now. How do I navigate this without allowing their discomfort with my Blackness to get on me?' That's a hell of a thing to navigate."