Will Smith has come forward to admit that he fully understands the positions of fans who are inclined not to support his latest project in light of his conduct at the Oscars. The comment comes as the star prepares for the Apple TV Plus premiere ofEmancipation.
Will Smith has had a long and successful career in Hollywood and has received several awards for his efforts, including winning an Oscar for Best Actor in honor of his performance inKing Richard, an accomplishment that was entirely overshadowed by the controversy that ensued when Will Smith assaulted host Chris Rock onstage after the comedian made a passing joke regarding Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The incident was so controversial that the uncensored footage ofWill Smith slapping Chris Rock beat Mr. Beast’s 24-hour view recordon YouTube.
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While Rock managed to keep calm and even went as far asnot pressing charges against Will Smith, theFresh Prince of Bel-Airstar still seems set to face a lot of punishment from the court of public opinion. “I completely understand — if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready. My deepest concern is my team – Antoine [Fuqua] has done what I think is the greatest work of his entire career," Smith said during an interview with Fox 5’s Good Day DC journalistKevin McCarthy. “The people on this team have done some of the best work of their entire careers, and my deepest hope is that my actions don’t penalize my team. At this point, that’s what I’m working for.”
Will Smith’s comments concernEmancipation,a project based on a true story in which Smith portrays a runaway slave as he escapes through the Louisiana swamplands after his plantation slave masters nearly kill him. While the film is sure to be a touching and informative culture piece, Will Smith’s involvement was always going to be a sticking point for many. A poll revealed thatmany Oscars voters wouldn’t even considerEmancipationfor the awards, irrespective of merit.
The fallout from the Oscars fiasco was easy to foresee, with many contemplating ifworking with Will Smith would be a liabilityin the future as soon as the altercation happened. While there was certainly room for doubt in the equation, Will Smith’s acceptance of the attitude makes it clear that there is a strong contingent of people unwilling to separate the art from the artist and approach projects involving him with an accommodating mood.
Emancipationis now available on Apple TV Plus.
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