In the career of every star there is always a milestone that marks a before and after. In the case of Will Smith, it is not about an artistic fact, but about his scandalous behavior during the last delivery of the Oscars, when furious at Chris Rock’s mockery, he decided to come out in defense of his wife, Jada Pinket, and go up on stage at the Dolby Theater to give him a resounding slap in the face.
The fact became the subject of debate for weeks on the networks, in the media and even in workplaces and family after-dinner meals. Then came the apologies from the protagonist and the sanction of the Hollywood Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, which prohibited him from attending any event organized by the entity for the next 10 years.
That fateful night, just minutes after the iconic slap, Smith would receive a statuette for his work in King Richard: A Winning Family, where he played the father of the famous American tennis players Serena and Venus Williams. However, many predicted that this scandal would end his career, a postulate that, at the time of cancellations, was not unreasonable.
Still, Smith’s star did not go out. The actor is the protagonist of Emancipation, the period film based on a true story in which the actor plays Peter, a man who escapes from slavery. For many, his performance in this new role could earn him a second Oscar (because, despite not being able to be present at the ceremony, he can be nominated). But beyond the awards and the box office, the actor revealed to his children Willow, Jaden, and Trey that the experience on set was not entirely pleasant.
“Over the years, I have focused more and more on these characters for longer periods of time,” he began by explaining on the Red Table Talk YouTube channel. And he continued: “This is a story with great weight, the experience was very strong and the quality of the actors was overwhelming. It was emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausting.”
Later, he surprised his children with an anecdote from the filming. “One of the first days on set, we had a scene with one of the actors. At one point, he leans into my face and says, ‘You’re cold, aren’t you?’ And then he improvised,” recalled Smith, as he turned around and pretended to spit at Willow. Then he recreated his overreaction to the unexpected situation, while his three children burst out laughing.
“I was like: ‘Makeup!’ I thought, ‘Wow, all the actors on this set were taking it very, very seriously,’ he added. This time, Smith decided not to reveal the name of the other protagonist of the anecdote, perhaps to prevent the issue from escalating and his name being associated again with an undignified situation.
Emancipation, Smith’s new film, can be seen on Apple TV +. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), the project had a budget of more than 120 million dollars and tells the story of a slave who escaped from the Louisiana plantations in the middle of the American War of Independence to join the ranks of the Army in the states of the Union, to the north. Starring alongside Smith are Ben Foster, Steven Ogg and Charmaine Bingwa.