In a matter of moments, the figure of Will Smith He went from heaven to hell during the last installment of the Oscars. The actor, as a reaction to a humorist joke Chris Rock, went up on stage and slapped him. The action took Rock by surprise and shook the life of Smith, who since then had kept away from different events until reappearing in the African American Film Critics Association Awards (AAFCA) 2023.
Will Smith was recognized at the ceremony with the beacon award for his work in Emancipationwith the address of Antoine Fuqua. The filmmaker accompanied the interpreter during the gala, he even took the stage when the winner was announced. As part of his speech, the actor said the following:
“I want to thank the AAFCA, all of you in this room for your work, for keeping our stories alive. I want to thank Apple because the budget was one thing at first and then it was another. Manzana never flinched. It was the first time I heard a studio say that the story was more important than how much it cost. They make iPhones. They can do it.”
Will Smith.
The return of Will Smith
After what happened during the last Oscar ceremony, the actor voluntarily isolated himself. He was rarely seen at public events. His acting career was on hiatus, until he began promoting Emancipation. In statements given to DeadlineBefore receiving the Beacon Award, Will Smith said:
“It feels like coming back. It’s a different vibe. I am very happy to be back with the same people.”
Will Smith.
During February of this year, the actor announced that there would be a fourth installment of bad boys, the franchise with which he has achieved the most fame. In it, he will be on stage again with Martin Lawrencethe interpreter who has accompanied him since the first production, released in 1995. The other two were released in 2003 and 2020.
What happened at the Oscars
Will Smith arrived at the 2022 Oscars ceremony as one of the top favorites to win in the “Best Actor” category. His performance in King Richard: A Winning Family It was celebrated by critics and viewers. The actor, associated on several occasions with that recognition, seemed to be having the best night of his life. However, although he won the statuette, it may have resulted in one of his most bitter days.
What happened? The comedian Chris Rock, who is a specialist in animating this type of event, referred to the alopecia of Jada Pinkett, wife of Will Smith. At first, the actor accepted the comment with smiles, until he saw the reaction of his companion. So, he walked up to the stage, slapped Rock, and left telling him not to mention her again.
That was assumed to be part of the event until it became apparent from the faces of those involved that it was not. This led to a shower of reactions on social networks and rivers of ink used to reflect and comment on the behavior of each other. A gap in all that discussion, perhaps the least exposed, had to do with the fight that Jada Pinkett sustains to make female alopecia visible.
During his speech as winner in the category of “Best Actor”, Will Smith did not apologize for what happened. The most repeated word was “protect”, something that could be interpreted as a justification. However, after all this scandal, in which the possibility of withdrawing the award was even mentioned, Will Smith did offer public excuses, both to the Academy and to those who felt affected. On April 8, 2022, the Hollywood Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the interpreter was sanctioned with a ban on entry to the Oscars ceremony for the next ten years.