Will Smith announced his resignation as a member of the institution that awards the Oscars, after punching comedian Chris Rock during the ceremony on Sunday, according to a statement released this Friday.
© ETIENNE LAURENT
Hollywood (United States), 27/03/2022.- US actor Will Smith reacts as he speaks after winning the Oscar for Best Actor for ‘King Richard’ during the 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, 27 March 2022. The Oscars are presented for outstanding individual or collective efforts in filmmaking in 24 categories. (Estados Unidos) EFE/EPA/ETIENNE LAURENT
“I am resigning my membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and I will accept whatever consequences the board deems appropriate,” the actor wrote in the text published by Variety magazine. “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful and inexcusable.”
“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dearest friends and loved ones, everyone in attendance, and global audiences at home,” the statement read. Those present at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, were shocked when Smith took the stage and slapped Rock after he made a joke about his wife’s shaved head.
Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, a disease that causes hair loss. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for her extraordinary work. I’m heartbroken,” confessed Smith, the fifth black man to win the Oscar for best actor.
“I want to bring the spotlight back to those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to return to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film,” he said.
Today it was also known that Chris Rock’s professionalism after being attacked by Will Smith during the live broadcast of the Oscars allowed the ceremony to continue, the producer of the show told an American television station. Rock was able to continue presenting an award just moments after Smith walked onto the stage and slapped him in the face over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
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“Because Chris handled the moment with such grace and poise … he allowed the show to go on,” producer Will Packer told ABC television.
“Because Chris continued the way he did, he completed the category. He presented the trophy to Questlove, “winner for best documentary,” which kind of gave us license to follow the show, which is what we were trying to do.”
Hollywood’s brightest night was darkened when Smith took offense at a joke Rock made about the shaved head of his wife, who suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
After slapping Rock, Smith returned to his seat and yelled obscenities at him.
In recent days there have been mixed reports about whether Smith was asked to leave the ceremony, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in charge of the awards, said he refused to leave.
But Packer noted that he advised against expelling the actor after speaking to Rock as he walked offstage.
“I said, ‘Did he really hit you?’ And he looked at me and said, ‘Yes. I just took a hit from Muhammad Ali,’” the producer narrated. Smith played this legendary boxer in the movie Ali in 2001.
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“I immediately went to the Academy board that was on site and said, ‘Chris Rock doesn’t want that … Rock has made it clear he doesn’t want the situation to get any worse.'” Half an hour after the shocking attack, Smith was awarded best actor at the Oscars for his role in the movie “King Richard.” This sparked a standing ovation, later criticized with accusations that Hollywood did not take the assault seriously.
According to Packer, the applause was for the actor and his work, not the incident. “I think the people in the place who stood up stood up for someone they knew … who has a career spanning more than three decades of being the opposite of what we saw at the time,” he said.
Smith posted an apology on Instagram Monday calling his behavior “unacceptable and inexcusable.” Side by side with Ella Rock, whose US comedy tour kicked off in Boston this week, he told his audience that he was “still processing” what had happened. He did not give further details.
The Academy is looking at punishments for Smith, including possible expulsion, before Smith decided to resign. The actor is one of the most bankable Hollywood stars and the fifth black man to win the Oscar for best actor.