It has been around 600 days since the day Oscar winner Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock for what was supposed to be a humorous joke at the Academy Awards in 2022. And yet the world hasn’t moved on, and news of the infamous accident keeps coming up. This time it was Smith himself who spoke up about the incident.
In what was supposed to be one of his first public appearances after the shameful incident, Smith spoke up about it at the Red Sea International Film Festival, held in Saudi Arabia. Reflecting on the career-threatening incident, he spoke up about his mission to do good and how the experience has deeply humbled him.
Will Smith Opens Up About The Oscar-Slap Incident
While it wasn’t the first time Will Smith opened up about his Oscar slap to Chris Rock, it was certainly one of his first times to address it publically. While at the Red Sea International Film Festival recently, the King Richard star opened up about the incident. Calling fame a ‘unique monster’, he talked about making mistakes and needing to remain focused on his mission (via Screen Daily).
“What I’ve experienced in my adversities of the last couple of years is I have to be clear about: I can’t need others to applaud for me to stay focused on my mission. I have always wanted to put good into the world, I have always wanted to make people smile, I have always been devoted to the process of joy and inspiration. I want you to feel good, I am here because in my deepest heart I want you to feel good.”
Keeping his mission at the top of his mind and the center of his heart, he seems to have slowly come to terms with what he had previously called ‘unacceptable and inexcusable behavior’ (via Instagram).
Also Read: 3 Box Office Records of Will Smith That Even Robert Downey Jr. Will Struggle to Break
Will Smith Reveals He Feels Humbled After The Infamous Slap Incident
Previously while on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (via Entertainment Weekly), Will Smith had explained how devastating he had felt after the incident. Although his actions were not justifiable at all, he had revealed that it was a culmination of various other emotions at play.
Speaking on similar terms while at the Red Sea International Film Festival, he stated,
“At the same time, I am deeply human. My virtue is not yet perfected. I am in the process of perfecting my virtue. The greatest thing that has happened is I have been deeply humbled and deeply inspired to perfect my light. That’s what this next phase of my life is going to be – perfecting and shining my light as brightly as I can on as many people as I can.”
Despite all his flaws and mistakes, the actor remains as energetic as ever, expressing his need to do good while also learning and improving from the many mistakes he has made. It is this quality and outlook of his that makes people admire him and support him, even after all this time.
