Will Smith talks about the infamous Oscar fiasco. Image Source: NY Post
Will Smith talks about the infamous Oscar fiasco.
Actor Will Smith appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and spoke about the infamous Oscar fiasco while promoting his new historical drama "Emancipation."
Will Smith told Trevor Noah that he has been away when he was asked why he has been away from the public eye. He went on to say that it was a horrific night, as one might expect, referring to the 94th Annual Academy Awards and that it has many nuances and complexities. The actor added that, at the end of the day, the thing is that he just lost it.
Will explained that he was going through something that night, and even though it does not justify the way he behaved at the time, he added that it was a lot of things. The actor went ahead to describe that it was the little boy who watched his father beat up his mother, and all of that just bubbled up at that moment, clarifying that it is not what he wants to be.
Trevor Noah interjected and shared his point of view on the situation, sharing that he loves Chris Rock and is friends with him, and he is friends with Will Smith too, but the entire situation is just fucked up. The host mentioned that he knows that black people got together and questioned what Will Smith was doing and what the hell just happened, adding that a lot of black people thought the actor should go to jail and had all sorts of reactions. Trevor said that some people who were passing judgment were overreacting, which made some people underreact.
The actor went ahead and said that the aftermath of Oscar's evening was a lot for him to deal with along with his private life. Will went on to say that he was gone because of rage that had been bottled up inside of him for a long time and that his nine-year-old nephew is the sweetest little boy. He mentioned that they had all returned home and that he had decided to stay up late for seeing his uncle Will. They were seated in his kitchen, and he was on his lap, clutching the Oscar, and he asked him why he hit that man (Chris Rock) on stage and all Will could think was why was his nephew trying to Oprah him.
Will Smith had slapped Chris Rock when the latter appeared on stage to present an award for best documentary and cracked a joke on Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. For his unacceptable and violent behavior, the actor stepped down from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, issued a lengthy apology on social media, and was barred from attending Academy-related events for ten years. He accepted the ban stating that he made a mistake and he is ready to face the consequences of it. Will Smith also posted a lengthy video explaining his actions and stating that he did reach out to Chris Rock as well, who at the moment was not ready to accept the apology.
Will Smith discussed Emancipation, a movie based on real events wherein the he stars as "Whipped Peter," a runaway slave whose keloid scarring on his back reveals the barbarity of slavery. Will added about seeing that picture was one of the things that piqued his interest in investigating this because a person sees the image but has no idea who he is. One has no idea what the story is. Slavery in the United States was among the most brutal aspects of human history. It's challenging to comprehend the extent of human cruelty. He also shared that his daughter asked him if the world needs another slave movie to which he replied to her that he won't make a slave movie but this is a movie about freedom.
"Emancipation" will be released in limited movie theatres this Friday before debuting on Apple TV+ on December 9.
