Will Smith is currently gearing up for his much-awaited 2022 release almost a year after the controversy that followed the Oscars incident. Talking about the actor who won the Best Actor Academy Award, he left the audience stunned after slapping presenter Chris Rock on stage at the same ceremony. For the unversed, the incident happened because of a joke cracked by Rock about Smith’s wife Jada.
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Emancipation
Earlier reports stated that Will Smith’s movie Emancipation faced delays following the Oscars scandal. However, the film is now all set for its release and the actor has addressed a press tour to promote the same. He does not shy away from the Oscars controversy and recently spoke about the same including the impact it will have on the film’s reception in the coming times.
The audience response
According to a report by Variety, when Will Smith was asked about what he has to say about the audience section that is not willing to come back following the Oscars slap incident. Here is what Smith said about it, “I completely understand — if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready. My deepest concern is my team – Antoine has done what I think is the greatest work of his entire career. The people on this team have done some of the best work of their entire careers, and my deepest hope is that my actions don’t penalize my team. At this point, that’s what I’m working for.”
Details of the incident
The 94th Academy Awards witnessed a tense situation when Chris Rock commented on Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. He also compared her to G.I. Jane 2. This did not go well with Smith, who then walked up to the stage and hit the comedian. Later, he came back to his seat and warned Rock not to take his wife’s name. The entire incident shocked everyone. Later, the Academy took action against Will Smith by banning him from attending the Oscars for a period of 10 years.
As published in The Indian Express, the Academy said, “The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year. However, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.”
Will Smith’s apology
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The Aladdin actor publicly apologized to Chris Rock days after the Oscars incident on social media. He also stated that violence in any form is not acceptable in any form and that he is still learning. It was days after his apology that the Academy banned him from attending the Academy Awards for ten years. The actor has readily accepted the punishment. He had earlier received the best actor award for his role in King Richard.