Jada Pinkett Smith has revealed how hanging out with a predominantly male cast on Magic Mike XXL taught her how to be playful with husband Will Smith.

The 43-year-old Gotham star has been married to Will, 46, for 18 years and they have two children together. Jada revealed that she used to adopt the role of the sensible one in the relationship and sit back and watch Will mess around.

But having starred with Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and the rest of the Magic Mike XXL cast as the stripper troupe’s new manager, she has changed her attitude.

Jada Pinkett Smith jokes around at the Magic Mike XXL premiere in LA
Jada Pinkett Smith jokes around at the Magic Mike XXL premiere in LA (Paul A. Hebert/Invision)

Jada explained: “It really taught me how to be more playful with my husband.

“He’s a silly man all day long. He’s the guy who hides behind the door and jumps out. He’s that guy. All day. He’s just a big freaking kid. I always play the role of like, ‘OK, you be the kid. OK, that’s cute.’

But after Magic Mike, Jada said she’s “learned to enjoy that playfulness in him much more and participate in it versus, like, tolerate it”.

Jada revealed at first she tried to fall back and not get in the way of the antics of the male-dominated cast. A friend had told her that women don’t know how to share space, that they dominate space, and she took it to heart.

Channing Tatum and Jada Pinkett Smith
Channing Tatum and Jada Pinkett Smith (Rebecca Cabage/AP)

“I really felt like this was a space for bro-time,” she said. “I tried to be respectful of that and I really enjoyed watching the men. It was so much fun to see and to realise men really need boy time.”

Channing agreed, recounting a chat with a female friend who told him that when women get together with their girlfriends, they want to talk about life, careers, kids, relationships, everything.

“Guys don’t do that at all. We do the opposite. We do everything but talk about that,” said Channing. “We create another little world. It’s like a pressure release. Men are just like monkeys beating on the walls of the cage.”