Many viewers of Oscars 2022 they believed that It was a joke or a sketch planned by the protagonists and the organization of the gala. Those present at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles also doubted it. They didn’t know what was happening on stage: really? Will Smith punched comedian Chris Rock in the middle of the gala? It was expected ?
Nothing could be further from reality. Yeah, there had been a live attack at the presentation of the most important awards in the film industry. The image of the prize was tarnished after its 94th edition, when the actor of the Williams methodWith a start, he severely slapped the presenter of one of the awards, the comedian Chris Rock.
To the protagonist of In search of happiness he wasn’t amused that Rock did a joke about his wife’s shaved head, Jada Pinkett-Smith whom he compared to Lieutenant O’Neill. Angry, he got up from his seat and took the stage to perform in one of the moments more controversial of the history of these awards. He eclipsed everything: the red carpet, the guests and even the winners.
Will Smith picked up his Best Actor Oscar after the bombing
With the audience still stunned by what happened, Will Smith He returned to the stage a few minutes later to receive the award. as best actor thanks to his work in the film William’s method.
In his acceptance speech, in addition to mentioning those responsible for the film, he made reference to the collapse he had suffered a few minutes before.
“Denzel Washington just told me. ‘Look out, the most important moment in your life is when the devil knocks at the door,'” assured the actor. in tears, before noting that he hoped the Academy would be sympathetic. “I hope the Academy will invite me again.”
Without specifying what he was talking about, he added: “I know that to do what we do you have to be able to take insults, that you say things about yourself, you have to support this business and in this entertainment world. that people disrespect you and you have to smile and act like it’s okay.
The Hollywood Academy took no action until a few days after the ceremony, when vetoed Will Smith and announced his decision that the actor could not attend the Oscars ceremony in the next ten years.
The Academy recognizes that it did not do well
A year after this gala, the president of the Hollywood Academy, Janet Yang, admitted on Monday February 13 that the organization mishandled the slap case from Will Smith to Chris Rock.
Despite being banned from the ceremony for the next ten years, Yang says he shouldn’t have been allowed on stage to collect his Best Actor Oscar, an event that happened minutes after. the attack. The award ceremony it could have been canceled but the Academy failed to do its due diligence.
“What we went through last year this was unacceptable and our response fell short. It was a turning point to act with more transparency and accountability,” Yang said at the 2023 Oscar nominees luncheon.
The president also admitted that the organization’s response was “inadequate” and that in times of crisis it needed to act “quickly, compassionately and decisively” on behalf of the film industry.
“It’s a family and the values of faith, unity and solidarity between the industry and the spectators prevail”, added the president while assuring that the Academy he had “learned from his mistakes”.
Will Smith present the award for best actress in 2023?
The 95th edition of the Oscars will be held this Sunday, March 12 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles (USA).
The most relevant personalities from the world of cinema from the past year meet there. The red carpet is already dusted, but Will Smith won’t be walking on it.
The Hollywood Academy announced in April 2022 its decision to veto Will Smith at the Oscars for at least 10 years, a sentence that you will have to respect if you don’t want to deal with other types of actions.
Therefore, the interpreter will not be able to award the prize for best actress in 2023, which would have been assumed by ceremonial tradition if the last gala had gone well. In other words, if he hadn’t assaulted Chris Rock.