Why didn't Mila Kunis give Will Smith the 'standing ovation' at the Academy Awards in 2022? Find out more here.
by Ana Walia | Mon, 10 Oct 2022 18:55:40 GMT
Mila Kunis shares thoughts on Will Smith's Oscar 'standing ovation' Image Source: Parade  

Mila Kunis shares her honest opinion about the Academy Awards.

During an interview with C Magazine, Mila Kunis shared that she found it completely "insane" when actor Will Smith was given a standing ovation after he won the Best Actor award for 'King Richard' at the 2022 Academy Awards, which were held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in March.

Will Smith walked up to Chris Rock and slapped him after the comedian-actor appeared on-stage to present an award and cracked a joke on Jada Pinkett Smith. But after Will Smith was announced as the winner of the Best Actor award for his performance in 'King Richard', he delivered an emotional speech, after which he was given a standing ovation, but Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher stayed firmly in their seats.

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Mila explained that the concept of leading by example only makes sense when one has someone to lead, and they have their tiny little tribe at home, and she never tells them to do anything if she is unwilling to do it herself. The actress explained that she and her husband did not participate in Will Smith's standing ovation because of their children, Wyatt and Dimitri. She explained that they were aware that their children would witness their parents' reaction to the contentious situation one day.

It was clear from the interview that not standing up to give a standing ovation to the actor was a no-brainer for Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher at the Academy Awards, but what surprised her was how many people did stand up, and all she could think was, wow, what a time we live in where instead of doing what is right, people are just going to focus on what looks good. Mila Kunis called the situation "insane" and "almost shocking," adding that the actor did not deserve the standing ovation after assaulting Chris Rock.

Will Smith has since then apologized to Chris Rock with a public statement released on his social media and a video apology that was released a few months ago in which the actor said that he tried to reach out to Chris Rock but the response he got was that Chris is not ready to talk about things right now. He shared that he had been doing a lot of thinking and personal work and apologized to Chris Rock and his entire family for hurting him.

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Will Smith in his video mentioned that he waited so long to speak about the incident because he wanted his apology to reach out to people in the correct manner and should not sound forced. He added that he is trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of himself, and mentioned that he is a human being who made a mistake, and he is trying not to think of himself as a piece of shit. He continued that he hates it when he lets people down, and it hurts him psychologically and emotionally to know that he did not live up to people’s images and impressions of him. Will acknowledged that he knows it’s confusing and shocking, but he promised the viewers that he is deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world.

Will Smith had also volunteered to resign from the Academy, and in a statement, he stated that all forms of aggression are poisonous and destructive and that his behavior at the Academy Awards was inappropriate and inexcusable. Will went on to say that making fun of himself is part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for him to endure, and he responded emotionally. The governing organization of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences met after the infamous incident and decided that Will Smith would be barred from attending the Academy Awards for the next ten years, which Will Smith accepted stating that he made a mistake and he is ready to accept whatever Academy thinks he deserves. Will Smith can still be nominated for an Academy Award.

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