image source, Getty Images
American actor Will Smith said it was his “contained” anger that led him to slap comedian Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars in March.
The actor made these statements in the first interview he gave following the incident, which he described as “a horrible night.”
“I was going through something that night, you know?” he said on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.”
“Not that that justifies my behavior at all.“.
Smith said there were “a lot of nuances and complexities” but added: “I just kind of lost control.”
Smith took the stage at the Hollywood award ceremony following Rock made a joke regarding Smith’s wife’s shaved head.
Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopeciaa condition that causes hair loss.
“I understand how shocking it was”
Previously, the actor had said that his wife did not ask him to confront Rock.
“I think what I would say is you never know what someone is going through,” he said, without elaborating what he meant.
image source, Getty Images
Smith poses with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at the Oscars ceremony.
The interview on the late-night US television show was the first time Smith was publicly questioned regarding what happened on Oscar night.
“I understand how shocking that was for people… I overdid it. That was a rage that had been suppressed for a long time“he said to Noah.
“That was a horrible night, as you can imagine.”
In July, he posted a video on YouTube, answering questions that appeared to have been written by Academy Awards fans. Prior to that, she had only issued written statements regarding the altercation.
next movie
Smith appeared on Monday night’s episode of “The Daily Show” to promote his upcoming film “Emancipation,” which is due out next week, making it eligible for next year’s Oscars.
Smith, who received this year’s best actor award following the slap in the face, said the idea that his new movie would be “tainted” during the upcoming awards season by his actions “was killing him.”
The 54-year-old actor was asked Banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years and also resigned from the Academy, which organizes the ceremony.
When asked in another interview what he would say to critics who claimed it was too early to promote his work, he replied: “I completely understand that if you know someone isn’t ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready.” .
“My biggest concern is my team. The people on this team have done some of the best work of their entire careers, and my best hope is that my actions don’t penalize my team.”
