Will Smith Gets Desperate To Get Back Into Academy Awards, Woos Dave Chappelle And Rihanna To Broker Peace Terms With Chris Rock Using ‘Oscar Bait’ Emancipation Screening
After slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars, Will Smith has done everything he can to make amends. In honor of his upcoming Apple original film Emancipation, Will Smith hosted a special screening with some of his most A-list celebrity friends, such as Rihanna and Dave Chappelle.
Due to backlash following Will Smith’s slap on Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Apple was considering postponing the movie. However, during a private screening of his new film, he received support from several Hollywood friends. In a group selfie posted on Instagram Monday featuring the handful of Hollywood stars enjoying Will Smith’s latest on-screen project, the King Richard star smiled while holding his phone above his shoulders. However, it’s his first movie release since the 2022 Oscars.
Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ Has Been Called Oscar Bait
It appears Will Smith is still campaigning for a second Oscar despite being unable to attend the Academy Awards. During last night’s screening, Smith posted a selfie on his Instagram handle showing the attendees, and he captioned the post, “EPIC night!! Thanx for coming to see #Emancipation. Hope you’ll enjoyed!!.” Also, Kenya Barris wrote in his Instagram post, Emancipation was “true art” and the evening “was truly one for the books.”
Emancipation is about Peter, an enslaved person who escapes from a Louisiana plantation after being whipped within an inch of his life. The unforgiving swamps of Louisiana and cold-blooded hunters await him on his torturous journey north.
Antoine Fuqua, who directed 2001’s Training Day starring Denzel Washington, believes that Emancipation is his “strongest piece of work” and his most important film so far. This high-profile screening marks the latest event in a surprise Oscar campaign for Emancipation, which hits theaters on December 2 and Apple TV+ on December 9, as he plays the same slavery trope in the movie, it’s been called Oscar bait.
The actor invited Dave Chappelle to watch Smith’s new Apple TV+ film Emancipation at the private screening. In addition to Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Tyler Perry, and Russell Westbrook, Smith invited other significant stars. The actor showed the people who attended that private screening in a couple of pictures in his Instagram post. The fans have already started praising the actor for his new film and giving early positive reactions to the film.
Will Dave Chappelle Be Able to Mediate Between Will Smith and Chris Rock?
Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock shortly before winning the best actor Oscar for King Richard last year. The incident led to Smith’s resignation from the Academy and a 10-year ban from all Academy events, including the ceremony. Although Smith apologized to Rock via YouTube video and his popularity declined after that, he remains popular on social media. The film Emancipation will mark the actor’s first after the slap.
The comedian Dave Chappelle, invited to the private screening of Smith’s upcoming movie, has continuously addressed the slapping incident in his comedy tour. He has said that he sides with both parties. Dave Chappelle is the only person who can mediate peace between the two factions. Everyone knows that Dave’s opinions about everything are respected as one of the biggest comedy icons in the world. Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, both legendary comedians who have been touring together for most of this year, are one of his closest friends in comedy.
Even though Chris Rock refused to speak to Smith, this could be the chance the actor had been waiting to patch up. He always expressed remorse in his videos and statements about the incident. Dave Chappelle’s outreach was an intelligent PR move for the King Richard star to obtain Chris Rock’s forgiveness. Also, if the peace negotiations succeed, this will be a significant first step toward being accepted back into the Academy.
Source: Marca
