Will Smith Opens Up About Slapping Chris Rock In Interview With The Daily Show

Veteran actor Will Smith opened up about his incident at the Oscars, where he slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke aimed at Jada Pinkett-Smith.

Will Smith is one of the Hollywood stars who forged a career from a very young age. From the beginning, Smith enjoyed the success of the Prince of Bel-Air and has stood out as one of the most memorable actors in history. Unfortunately, Will starred in one of the most embarrassing scenes at the latest Oscar gala when he slapped Chris Rock on stage. Therefore, the actor kept a low profile since the incident.

Image via Sony Pictures

After long days of silence, Smith finally spoke out in a video posted explaining his motivations for the slap. But beyond that, he is dismayed by his attitude, representing someone he doesn’t want to be. The actor refers to forgiving himself and recognizing that he is human and, like everyone, makes mistakes. That night was one of them, where he tried to stand up for the right thing but not at the right time.

Actor Will Smith Opens Up On The Daily Show

Veteran actor Will Smith made several online statements in recent months. After his appearance at the last Oscar Gala, where he slapped Chris Rock, he had been silent for months. As we know, what happened put the actor in the spotlight, and he found himself in the eye of the hurricane. But this Monday, he stepped into the spotlight with an interview on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.

Smith was on the show to promote his new drama, Emancipation. Of course, the late-night host couldn’t let the controversy stemming from the Oscars night go unnoticed. When the presenter brought up the fact, Smith replied, “I have been away.” For Smith, this was one of the most horrible nights he had ever experienced, full of nuances and complex situations.

Image via Paramount Pictures.

The actor stated, “I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behavior at all… It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That is not who I want to be.”

The host, Trevor Noah, then offered his point of view regarding the incident. Noah said, “I love Chris. I’m friends with him. I love you, but this is f*cked up… I know that as Black people, Black people get together and go, ‘What was Will doing? What the hell happened?’ A lot of Black people were like, ‘He should go to jail.’ Like, you need to relax yourself. Some people were overreacting, which made some people underreact.”

If Smith learned anything that night, “It’s that we have to be nice to each other, man.” So, he thinks, when you’re hurt, you hurt other people. For Trevor Noah, Smith “just stood up for the wrong thing at the wrong time.”

What is Emancipation About?

The movie Emancipation is currently the project that veteran actor Will Smith is working on. This story is based on actual events, where Smith stars as a runaway slave known as “Peter Whipped.” He gets the nickname because of photos circulated and distributed showing the slave’s back completely scarred with keloids due to the brutal slavery he was exposed to.

For the actor, one of the most critical aspects of the film was giving a perspective of what slavery represented in the United States. These actions represent “the most brutal aspects of human history.” Will Smith sees the film as not just another slave movie. His perspective goes much further. Through this film, he tries to represent the freedom that all human beings deserve, regardless of creed, race, or color.

Image via Apple TV+

Antoine Fugua directs Emancipation. Despite Smith’s controversial action at the last Oscars, he took the risk eight months later. For the director, “the film is bigger than that moment.” It will feature Robert Richardson as the director of photography, Naomi Shohan as the production designer, and Francine Jamison – Tanchuck as the costume designer. The co-star will be Charmaine Bingwa.

Thus, those who wish to enjoy the movie Emancipation can do so from December on Apple TV+. As always, Will Smith will give us an exemplary performance. Smith hopes his attitude will not influence the rest of the hard-working crew. For him, this is “the biggest job of his entire career.”