Will Smith donates huge sum to Scientology

Will Smith gives £79,000 donation to Scientology

He claims not to be a member of best friend Tom Cruise's favoured religion, but that didn’t stop Will Smith donating a hefty £79,000 this year to its causes.

The generous Hancock actor gave away $1.3 million to charitable causes this year, with the equivalent of £79,000 going to three Scientology projects.

A report on his foundation's tax return shows that £44,000 went to the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Fund, £32,000 to the group's Celebrity Centre in Hollywood and £3,000 to an offshoot of the group called ABLE.

In May of this year, Will and his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, also gave $1million to help set up a school, which will use Scientology teaching methods, although children of all religions will attend.

He said of the venture: 'About 10 years ago Jada and I started dreaming about the possibility of creating an ideal educational environment, where children could feel happy, positive and excited about learning.'

However, Smith made it clear to reporters that he does not follow the religion, saying at the time: 'I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions.

'And I respect all people and all paths. And you don't have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise.'