‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’: Will Smith’s 9 Year Old Nephew Tried to ‘Oprah’ Him After Chris Rock Oscars Slap Controversy, Made Him Feel Terribly Ashamed
After his Oscars incident, Will Smith reflects on the reaction of his extended family. Trevor Noah invited will Smith for an interview for his upcoming movie, Emancipation, which is planned to be released on December 2 in selected cinemas and will be streaming on Apple+ TV by December 9 where they both discussed the major details of the movie, is based on slavery and a historical drama.
After the host asked him how he felt about the Oscars slap incident, Will Smith opened up about its impact on his private life. The actor for King Richard explained that this was not intentionally done, and he was going through some serious emotional turmoil that night, and his best night turned into the worst.
The Oscar Slap Scene: Will Smith Reveals His 9-Year-Old Nephew’s Reaction
Hollywood’s famous actor Will Smith, 54, appeared on Trevor Noah‘s show, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, to promote his upcoming movie Emancipation, where the host asked him about the Oscar slap incident’s effect on his career and life. Also, Noah asked about his absence since the fallout with Chris Rock on an infamous night.
Emancipation star recalled and said,
“I have been away. That was a horrific night, as you can imagine. There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just — I lost it, you know? I was going through something that night, you know? It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up at that moment. That is not who I want to be.”
Anecdotally, the King Richard actor talked about the Oscars night and how it affected his personal life. Smith recalled,
“I was gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time.”
“My nephew, Dom, is nine. He is the sweetest little boy. We came home, and we are sitting in my kitchen, and he is on my lap, and he is holding the Oscar, and he is just like, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’ Damn it. Why are you trying to Oprah me?”
When the actor recalled that personal moment, he got tears in his eyes and felt ashamed. As Smith always claimed, he tried to contact Chris Rock after his outburst but never heard back from him. As the actor prepares for his first film release since the incident, he says he is unsure if the audience will accept him now.
Trevor Noah later said,
“I don’t want to define you. I don’t think it should define you, you know what I mean? We all know who the real Will Smith is.”
In addition, Smith urged people never to hurt someone or make fun of them at any moment as we don’t know if they are dealing with something and you might regret it later.
Will Smith’s Thoughts On His New Movie ‘Emancipation’
In his new film Emancipation, he explores the real-life story of Gordon, the slave known as Whipped Peter, in popular culture. The film was initially scheduled to premiere in May but had to be postponed due to the Oscar controversy. The Bad Boys star said to Trevor Noah on his show,
“One thing is killing me, you know, so, Emancipation is Antoine’s masterpiece. He has created an absolute masterpiece. Bob Richardson, the DP, and Ben Foster and just all the way down, it’s like these top artists in the world have done some of the best work of their career. And the idea that they might be denied because of me is like, Ohh! It’s like that is killing me.”
He continued,
“I just hope that their work will be honored and their work will not be tainted based on a horrific decision on my part.”
He shared an anecdote about his Oscars night outburst when he had to deal with the consequences of his outburst in his personal life, and he is concerned about the people’s response to his upcoming movie.
The actor slapped Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards when he joked about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness. He won the Best Actor award that evening but was banned for 10 years after the incident.
Source: YouTube
