It was one of the most commented moments of the last Oscar ceremony: Will Smith’s slap on Chris Rock after he joked about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s hair loss. The live incident has been commented on and continues to be so. And although the offending actor is now paying the consequences on his career, he can count on the support of certain Hollywood personalities.
Sanctions and projects on stand-by
Indeed, after the slap that Will Smith gave Chris Rock on the stage of the Oscars 2022, the actor was sanctioned. After her resignation from the Academy of Oscars, the latter decided to prohibit him from attending future ceremonies for a period of ten years.
But Smith also has to deal with projects that are put on hold ! This is particularly the case of Fast & Loose which was to be directed by the director of Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw planned for Netflix, the movie bounce which lost its distributor and Apple TV which would have withdrawn from the project to adapt the autobiography of the actor.
Michael Bay defends Will Smith
If Will Smith must assume the consequences of his gesture, he can nevertheless count on the support of certain Hollywood personalities. It is moreover the case of Michael Bay with whom he had collaborated for the franchise bad boys.
Today, the director to whom we owe Armageddon, Pearl Harbor or the license transformers has just spoken about the slippage of Will Smith. Bay, who was promoting for her upcoming movie, Ambulance with Jake Gyllenhaal, for Entertainment Weekly claimed he was ready to “rework 100%” with the actor :
He’s a very balanced guy. Very balanced.
And to add that the reaction of some commentators to the incident was exaggerated compared to what is happening in the world :
At first I was like, ‘Did this just happen?’ Then I saw Will scream. It’s a real cry from Will. Will is an incredible fighter. He studied boxing. First of all, it’s wrong to do that. Let’s say it right away. But when people say ‘Oh, he could have killed him’, no, a slap is different. A punch ? Yes, you can kill someone. Yes, Will gave a slap. But when you start thinking about life… Because I was very affected by this war in Ukraine. I went to Ukraine. I have seen babies die by the hundred. And right now, people are so concerned about that. Okay, something dramatic happened but I just think we need to review our priorities.
Michael Bay therefore shares the opinion of many witnesses to the Oscars incident: the slap is not representative of what Will Smith is. Even if the latter must assume the sanctions and the projects put on hold, the actor remains bankable. And it’s a safe bet that in a few years, it will return to center stage.
