JADA PINKETT SMITH and WILL SMITH'S FIGHT OVER JADEN!

Movie couple JADA PINKETT SMITH and WILL SMITH fought over their actor son JADEN's tough work schedule on the set of THE KARATE KID remake - because mum was convinced the 11 year old was too young for the extremes his dad had planned.

Will is the producer of the film and set his son a tough schedule of work-outs and filming, while Jada felt Jaden needed a break.

The I Am Legend star insists the whole project was akin to teaching his son to hunt - while his worried mum watched from afar on set in China.

In a family chat on U.S. TV show Oprah on Monday (17May10), Jada said, "I learned why, in African tribes, men would come to the village and remove their sons to initiate them into manhood, because, as a mother, it is an excruciating thing to watch... That mother instinct kicks in.

"It was a ferocious fight... I was like, 'My priority is Jaden'. It's a balance. I told Will, 'I understand that there's certain things you are trying to put in, but, at the end of the day, he's 11. We just had to find a nice balance. I'm telling you he's a different child from his experience in China."

In trying to explain his motives for working his son hard, Will added, "We've been having this passionate debate. I feel like greatness lives on the edge of destruction... The reason why someone is great is because they survived death."