Will Smith is facing the consequences of slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars as his new film, Emancipation, is causing chaos amongst Academy members. According to DM, some members of the Academy have refused to nominate him over the Oscars slap.
They are probably scared that he might dash out another slap to whoever jokes with him or his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Actor Will Smith continues to tread on thin ice as some Academy Award voters refuse to support him in his new film ‘Emancipation’ after he infamously slapped Chris Rock on stage during the 94th Academy Awards.
Smith, 54, plays the lead in the upcoming Apple TV drama that features Smith during the Civil War era as a runaway slave. The movie will be released in December, which makes it eligible to be nominated for the 95th Academy Award season.
Some voters refuse to back Smith after his immature stunt earlier this year when he rushed to the stage to slap Rock after the comedian and actor insulted Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia.
‘Would I vote for Will Smith? Not a chance,’ a member of the executive branch of voters told The Hollywood Reporter.
‘Heavy sigh. No chance I would vote for him,’ another added.
Others suggested Smith’s nomination for an award would be an ’embarrassment’ to the Academy.
‘Nominating Will Smith would be a slap in the face to the Academy,’ a member of the music branch of voters said.
Smith has apologized multiple times for his actions on stage in March and said his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable.’
Most voters were snarky in their responses in supporting Smith while one suggested the seasoned actor invest in ‘anger management’ support.
‘Will Smith should have been asked to take part in an Academy-mandated anger-management program before being readmitted or having his work considered for awards,’ one member said. ‘Apple, of course, can do whatever they wish, but the Academy should not feel compelled to buy into the circus that will surround this project.’
Another added: ‘No chance I would vote for him. However, I support the release. We need some good films out there, which I am assuming and hope this is. This is likely coming from Smith – the decision to release it now, I mean – and it shows the same hubris and arrogance that had him go dancing after the Oscars.’
‘As to voting for him, I really can’t imagine it. It’s an embarrassment to the Academy that he wasn’t thrown out of the building forthwith, and I’d be shocked if that moment won’t persist as an award disqualifier for a long time.’
Meanwhile, some suggested that Smith’s acting and the movie’s production will determine whether or not it will get their vote.
‘In terms of voting for the film and his performance, I think it depends,’ one member of the documentary voting branch said. ‘I have to see the film first. I’ve heard the film is good, which should be rewarded if deservedly so.
‘But overall, I think all of this depends on whether there are some apologies and humble-pie eaten during the film’s release and potential awards campaign. He can’t pretend the slap never happened; thus, how will it be addressed? I think it depends on how he handles it all.’
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