Some of Will Smith’s upcoming projects have been paused in the wake of the Oscars-slap controversy, a new report said.
The actor, who stunned the world when he smacked comedian Chris Rock in the face for making a bald joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith, has had a Netflix film and a movie for Sony put on hold, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Netflix was in the process of finding a new director for “Fast and Loose,” after David Leitch withdrew from the project ahead of the Academy Awards, THR said. Smith was to play a crime boss with a memory problem.
Sony is also putting the brakes on “Bad Boys 4,” which had been gearing up ahead of the awards show. The slave drama “Emancipation,” made for Apple+, has already been completed.
Denzel Washington has shared his views on the Will Smith Oscars slap after consoling him in the immediate aftermath.
Washington was one of the first people to talk with the actor following the incident that saw the actor stride on stage to hit Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
While Smith claimed that he was defending Pinkett Smith from a joke about her alopecia diagnosis, a source close to Rock says he “had no idea” about it. Smith, who faces disciplinary action from the Academy, announced his resignation from the awards body on Friday (1 April).
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On Saturday (2 April), Washington spoke about the matter publicly for the first time at a Leadership Summit in Washington DC. During Smith’s tearful Best Actor speech, which he delivered after winning for King Richard within the hour after her hit Rock, the actor said that Washington told him: “In your highest moments, be careful; that’s when the devil comes for you.”
According to Deadline, Washington, acknowledging his comments to Smith, said of the incident: “There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong. The devil goes, ‘Oh, no, leave him alone, he’s my favourite.’
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“Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it’s because he’s trying to do something right. And for whatever reason, the devil got a hold of him that night.”
Washington said that him and Smith prayed after the actor hit Rock.
“Fortunately there were people there, not just me but others. Tyler Perry came immediately right over there with me. Some prayers,” Washington said.
“I don’t wanna say what we talked about – but there but for the grace of God go any of us. Who are we to condemn? I don’t know all the ins and outs of this situation, but I know the only solution was prayer. The way I saw it. The way I see it.”
Will Smith delivered a tearful acceptance speech after hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars
Will Smith delivered a tearful acceptance speech after hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars
After Smith issued an apology to Rock, the comedian said, during his first stand-up show since the incident on Wednesday (30 March), he was “still processing” what happened.
Jada Pinkett Smith was seen laughing after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the face at the 2022 Oscars.
A TikTok user shared a video showing the “Red Table Talk” co-host guffawing Sunday night as Smith returned to his seat while Rock said, “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the s–t out of me.”
As soon as the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum, 53, began screaming, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth,” Pinkett Smith, 50, did not appear to make a peep — or move a muscle — until she chuckled when Rock, 57, referred to the incident as “the greatest night in the history of television.”
Smith, who went on to win Best Actor for his role in “King Richard,” issued a publicly apology Monday for his act of violence against the comic — though he had apologized to everyone except Rock during the actual ceremony.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” Smith wrote in his statement. “I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
