Despite being a best-selling author and a motivational speaker who's sought across the country, and having a bank account as big as his beaming smile, Gardner says he's unhappy — fed up, actually — with how the poor, homeless people and veterans are treated in America.

Gardner, whose struggles as a homeless single parent and rags-to-riches journey was depicted by Will Smith in the film "The Pursuit of Happyness," said he wants to use his "15 minutes of fame" to bring change.

"These folks are just folks," he said. "Everybody that's poor or homeless are not all alcoholics or drug addicts. These are poor people, and in many cases, working people."

The film, to be released on DVD on March 27, has brought attention to a problem that affects every community. It also made Gardner's name and story known to millions of people.

Gardner, who did some advocacy for the homeless while in Hawai'i on vacation last week, said he just finished a proposal for a second book, which is expected to be released this fall.

While in Honolulu, he met with Gov. Linda Lingle, social workers, public-housing officials and a few homeless people. He also addressed a national convention on homelessness in Washington by videoconference on Wednesday.

Sharply dressed and sporting a well-trimmed, graying goatee, Gardner said wealth hasn't changed who he is, even though he went from being driven out of filthy restrooms to driving a flashy Ferrari.

"When you have an experience like this, not just being homeless, but homeless with a 2-year-old baby tied on your back — that becomes part of who you are forever," he said.

Gardner is a millionaire who says, "we," and "us," when referring to poor folks.

"You know what we've got to do with poor folks and working folks? We've got to market ourselves maybe a little better," he said. "It might come down to something as simple as that."

The single most important survival skill Gardner learned when he was homeless in the early 1980s was to keep going forward.

"Baby steps count too," he said. "You add them all up, one day you're living next door to Donald Trump."

Gardner, a 53-year-old Milwaukee native, has gone from the mean streets to Wall Street and from being homeless to owning multiple homes, including a condo in Trump Tower in New York. He is the CEO of the Chicago-based brokerage firm Gardner Rich LLC.

Caroline Soaladaob, who has been homeless with her 10 children for nearly a year, was in tears while listening to Gardner's stories of struggle and sacrifice.

"I get emotional because I see living proof of it every day," said Soaladaob, who lived on a Hawai'i beach for months before moving into a new state-funded shelter in October. "Sometimes you have hard and rough days that you kind of think in the back of your head that you might not want to make it."

Soaladaob is among the many homeless in Hawai'i who work but still can't afford a place to live because of the high cost of housing. The median price for a single family home on O'ahu is above $600,000, making homeownership virtually impossible on a low-paying job. But now she has hope.

"I think he's living proof that we can make it," she said.

Gardner's odds hadn't been that good either. He grew up with an abusive stepfather and never went to college. He said his mother, however, provided him with "spiritual genetics."

"The spirit of who you're going to become as a person, I believe you can make a conscious decision," he said. "I could've embraced the spirit of my stepdad and I could've become another alcoholic, wife beating, illiterate, child-abusing loser."

He said the younger generation, including his own children, doesn't truly appreciate their lives or their parents.

"My kids are like the chocolate Kennedys," he said. "They've got a highly evolved sense of entitlement. We're working to adjust that."

Gardner has a 21-year-old daughter, Jacintha. Christopher Jr., whose character was played in the film by Smith's son, Jaden, is now 26 years old and pursuing a music career.

It wasn't Smith who was robbed of an Academy Award, but the actor's young son, Gardner said.

"Jaden Smith kicked Will Smith's butt every day," Gardner said. "Will's a funny guy. ... Think about it: No. 1 movie star in the world. Two-time Oscar nominee. Third best actor in his own house."

Gardner had doubts when he learned he would be played by Smith.

"We all think of Will as big, blockbuster, science fiction, outerspace extravaganza," he said. "This movie is about innerspace, not outerspace."

But Jacintha set Gardner straight.

"She looked at me and said, 'Pop. Don't worry about it. If he can play Muhammad Ali, he can play you,' " he said.

Gardner recalled taking Smith for a walk in the notorious Tenderloin area of San Francisco after midnight without any security guards. He told Smith, "The (cavalry) is not coming, brother."