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 of Emancipation.
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 in King 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 of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock beat Mr. Beast's 24-hour view record on YouTube.
While Rock managed to keep calm and even went as far as not pressing charges against Will Smith, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star 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 journalist Kevin 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 concern Emancipation, 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 that many Oscars voters wouldn’t even consider Emancipation for the awards, irrespective of merit.
The fallout from the Oscars fiasco was easy to foresee, with many contemplating if working with Will Smith would be a liability in 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.
While the prognosis for Emancipation is still up in the air, it is worth noting that many people are still quite willing to work with, sponsor, and patronize Will Smith. For instance, a sequel to I Am Legend is still in the works with Will Smith attached, with the I Am Legend director providing an update on the project, showing that it’s still going strong. Whether or not the partial ostracization of Will Smith will stay strong going forward or wane with public forgiveness remains to be seen.
Emancipation is now available on Apple TV Plus.
Source: Kevin McCarthy