Actor Will Smith is widely known for the wide range of movies he has done in his career. From playing a genie to a desperate father trying to make ends meet, he has done justice to all his roles. However, the recent controversy he found himself in at the 2022 Oscars seems to have overshadowed it all. Slapping comedian Chris Rock in front of a live audience and a bunch of cameras turned out to be quite a bad idea.
Ever since then, Will Smith has received unending backlash for his actions and the criticism doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, either. People have even taken over older posts from the actor berating him for the incident future Will Smith is responsible for. Case in point, a video posted by the actor back in July 2021 seems to have gotten caught up in the wave of criticism.
Will Smith Goes for a Swim in Dubai
Dubai has always been the hub for fun and exciting activities which are a huge attraction for tourists and Will Smith is not excluded. Last year, Dubai opened up the deepest swimming pool in the world, Deep Dive Dubai. It’s a man-made underwater world that is about 60 meters or 196 feet deep.
Smith posted a video of him visiting the thrilling facility, about to try it out for himself, stating that there was something weird about it before he dipped his phone underwater to give his fans a closer look.
“So I’m always in Dubai. But a friend of mine told me I had to check out this pool. There’s something weird about it. Deep Dive Dubai, I’m about to go down. The deepest pool on Earth…it’s madness.”
Well, that was enough content for Smith criticizers to pounce on. Even though Smith’s video was posted about a year before the whole Oscars controversy, the comments are filled to the brim with comments about it.
It’s been months since the 94th Academy Awards aired on March 27, however, the entire ordeal doesn’t seem to be dying out any time soon. Given that Smith’s new movie Emancipation will be available to stream in just a few days, it sure looks like the movie too is in danger of Internet trolls.
Will Smith Addresses the Controversy
Recently appearing on The Daily Show hosted by Trevor Noah, Smith openly talked about what was going through his mind at the moment he decided to get violent at a prestigious ceremony. He stated that it was a “horrific night” for him and while there were many complexities about it, he simply “lost it.”
He continued that he was going through something that night and while he added it didn’t justify his actions, people simply don’t know what a person might be going through. He turned to the audience and stated that the stranger next to them might have a sick child or might be in the middle of a messy divorce, and so on. He told Noah that what he took from the incident was that people had to be nicer to each other.
Smith blamed his actions on “rage that had been bottled for a really long time” as well as his experience with domestic violence during his childhood. He stated that everything bubbled up at that moment which made him act without thinking. He called himself out for using his bottled-up emotions to make it difficult for people around him.
In another interview with Fox 5 DC’s Kevin McCarthy, he talked about his worries regarding Emancipation’s release. He stated that he totally understands if people do not watch the movie because of him, however, he doesn’t want the rest of the cast and crew to suffer for his actions. Only time will tell if the team has to pay for Smith’s actions.
Emancipation will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on December 09.
Source: YouTube
