Will Smith Reflects On The Oscar Slap Controversy Affecting His Upcoming Film Emancipation(Photo Credit –Instagram/Poster From Emancipation)
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Even though it has been months since the whole Will Smith-Chris Rock slap controversy at the Oscars 2022 happened, the After Earth actor is still facing repercussions. For the unversed, during the Academy Awards in April of this year, Smith slapped the comedian across his face for cracking a joke on Jada Pinkett-Smith.
What many thought was a scripted moment turned out to be real, and Will was condemned for his actions. Fans, actors, and even the Academy itself spoke up against him. As a result, the Independence Day actor has been banned from attending the award ceremony for the next 10 years.
Now, Will Smith has a film coming up, Emancipation, which may face the music of his actions as well. It is said that the controversy might affect the popularity of his upcoming movie. The actor has addressed this while speaking with Kevin McCarthy via Variety. “I completely understand — if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready,” Will said.
“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,” Will Smith added and continued, “At this point, that’s what I’m working for. I’m hoping that the material — the power of the film, the timeliness of the story — I’m hoping that the good that can be done would open people’s hearts at a minimum to see and recognize and support the incredible artists in and around this film.”
Previously, a report had come in that stated the reactions of several Academy voters over Smith’s Emancipation entering the Oscars race. The survey is to see if the voters think that the King Richard actor is worthy of another Best Actor nomination.
While some participants were open to it, the majority of them completely shunned the idea. Do you think Will Smith’s Oscar moment should impact Emancipation?
