Actor Will Smith says if moviegoers aren’t “ready” for his new film, “Liberation,” he’ll “fully understand” when he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars earlier this year. hand.
“Liberated” is Smith’s first new film to hit theaters since he slapped Rock in March. Smith slapped Locke in response to the comedian’s joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.
Following the incident, Smith apologized multiple times and resigned as a member of the academy.
The actor said in a recent interview with FOX 5 DC reporter Kevin McCarthy that he would understand if people were hesitant to watch his movie because of his slap at the Oscars.
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Actor Will Smith says he “totally understands” if moviegoers are reluctant to watch his new film “Liberation” because of the infamous Oscar slap.
“I totally understand that if someone isn’t ready, I absolutely respect that and allow them space to not be ready,” Smith told McCarthy. “My biggest concern is my team — [director Antoine Fuqua] Done what I think is the greatest job of his entire career. “
He explained that his team has done “some of the best work of their entire careers” and that his “deepest hope is that my actions will not punish my team.”
Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage during the Best Documentary Oscar presentation at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 27, 2022.
(Chris Pizero)
“I hope the material — the power of the film, the timeliness of the story — I hope the good that can be done will at least open people’s hearts to see and recognize and support the incredible artists that surround this film,” Smith said .
In “Liberation,” Smith plays a slave named Peter who escapes from a plantation in Louisiana.
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Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith arrive at the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 27, 2022.
(AP Photo/John Locher)
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Smith, who won the Best Actor Oscar shortly after beating Rock for “King Richard,” is up for another nomination for his role in “Liberation.” If the actor does get nominated, he won’t be able to attend the ceremony.
