In Hollywood, image is everything. Celebrities preen and pose for paparazzi, often masking their true selves under the glare of a thousand flash bulbs. But not Jada Pinkett Smith. Sure, she's elegant and articulate. But she also gets angry. And wild. And loud. For starters, the pint-sized actress fronts a metal (yes, metal) band, Wicked Wisdom, which has toured with Ozzfest. And she has been known to do crazy things for love: she once jumped off a building in a show of affection for Will Smith, her husband of nine years.

When she's not rocking out on stage, Pinkett Smith, 35, is acting out on-screen. In March, she stars with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle in the Mike Binder drama Reign Over Me, and is currently at work on the highly anticipated sequel to the DreamWorks animated blockbuster, Madagascar. At home, Pinkett Smith's busy taking care of Jaden, 8, Willow, 6, and stepson Trey, 14 (whom she refers to as her "bonus son"). And she still finds the time to give back. Through the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, Pinkett Smith recently donated $1 million to her high school alma mater, the Baltimore School for the Arts. The organization also provides ongoing support to urban education programs. Here, Pinkett Smith dishes about her career, her body, and how she found her Fresh Prince.

How did you and Will first meet?
I met him when I was 19 at an audition for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After we had known each other for many years, we went out for dinner one night [with mutual friends] and I saw that he had grown from this lanky kid to this really responsible man. We started courting each other and our friendship turned into romance.

How was your first date?
He took me to Mexico!

What about your first kiss?
I think it was in Mexico. Will's the one who remembers that kind of stuff.

After nine years of marriage, how has your love for Will evolved?
The most important aspect of our relationship is that we continue to grow together—you have to be willing to take journeys with your partner. And even our relationship has gone through bad times. But if you can survive them, you'll have an even deeper connection. What's more important, chemistry or friendship? You have to have both, without allowing one to get stronger than the other. It's all about keeping that balance.

What do you put on when you want to feel extra sexy?
La Perla—almost every night. That's when I'm really feeling myself. [Laughs.] But that's usually something that only Will gets to see.

Is there one part of Will's body you just can't get enough of?
The little curve in his neck that goes into his shoulder—near his collarbone. And I just love his lower abdomen—when he's lying down with his arms outstretched and a little piece of his tummy is hanging out. I love that part.

And what part of your body does he adore?
That would be my breasts. [Laughs.] And he likes the curve from my torso to my hip.

In another life who would you have a major crush on?
Will and I both have our little Hollywood crushes. For me, it used to be The Rock, but I don't have any new ones. For Will, it was Salma Hayek and then Beyoncé for while.

Do you two ever talk about your on-screen love scenes?
Oh, yeah. Alicia [Alice Braga, Smith's costar in his upcoming film I Am Legend] was the first person Will had kissed in a long time. He was like, "It was so weird. It's been 10 years since I kissed someone outside of you like that!" But it's not bad at all. Trust me, I've kissed tons of guys on-screen!

So those love scenes that fool the rest of us don't affect you?
No. I wish Will would do more! People want to see that.

What's it like for your family now that your son Jaden is acting?
It's so amazing. It reminds me of when we lived in an agricultural society, when it took the whole family to pitch in for survival. And now, to have our son learn what we know and to take him into our spaces of how we feed the family—that is a gift. We're happy to pass on something that we love and something we know how to do.

Has it become more difficult for you and Will to preserve the privacy of your relationship?
We're pretty private people. We do our best not to create too much scandal! I don't know how much longer that will last.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done for love?
I jumped off a roof into a pool while we were in Jamaica, not knowing I could have broken my neck! I was very out of my mind, and Will was mad at me. He was sitting in a lounge chair when he saw me fall out of the sky screaming, "I love you, Will!" He tried his best to stay mad but he couldn't. He cracked up.

Do you ever get mad at each other?
We learned very early in our relationship that we are two volatile people, and we could not argue like that. And now we've gotten past that point. We disagree, but we don't argue.

You're the frontwoman for a metal band, Wicked Wisdom. What motivated you to pursue music?
I wanted a platform where I could express the other personality I have inside of me—the person who needs to be free and be angry and not be politically correct at all times. The one who can growl, scream, and jump around. One of my fans nicknamed me "the screaming banshee." [The stage] is a complete freedom space where I don't have to be perfect. On the red carpet, there's this need for perfection.

Do you bring that part of you to your relationship with Will?
Absolutely. I had to acknowledge that aggression is not something to be ashamed of. I also realized that trying to kill one aspect of your personality will kill the rest of you. The Jada that Will met is the chick people see on stage with the band. The Jada you see on the red carpet is the person he helped me to become. I don't think I'd be the woman I am today without his love and vision.

How have you helped shape Will?
I anchored his life in a way that allowed him to expand. I gave him the confidence to be what he always envisioned himself to be. Will was also challenged by the idea of fatherhood... he was so young when he had Trey [his eldest son, from a previous marriage]. I helped him see the strength and beauty in what he had to offer his children

Do you have a guilty pleasure love song?
Every single love song Prince has ever written! [Breaks into song.] There is not a song that that man has put out that I don't love.

Do you have a relationship role model?
Both sets of my grandparents. It seemed like they were married for hundreds of years! That's been my staple data—when you get married, it's for life.

What do you do to be good to your body?
I really eat well; I try not to eat a lot of sugar. It's more for my mind than it is for vanity. I need to stay healthy because I'm always running. Your body is your instrument to do everything, so you have to take care of it.

How do you pamper yourself?
Doing nothing is a complete luxury. It gives my body time to chill.

What is the biggest compliment Will has ever paid you?
He thinks that I'm one of the smartest people he's ever met. He's met a lot of people, and he's quite the intellectual, so that is a huge compliment.