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Will Smith returned to an awards ceremony stage on Wednesday for his first in-person speech since he sparked controversy by slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
The actor was honoured with the Beacon Award at the African American Film Critics Association Awards, accepting the gong alongside his “Emancipation” director Antoine Fuqua.
Smith said on stage, according to Variety, “‘Emancipation’ was the individual most difficult film of my entire career. It was all outdoors, that is true.
“It was the second day of shooting and 110 degrees… I was in a scene with one of the white actors. The actor decided to ad lib. So we’re doing the scene. I did my line. He did his line. And then — ad lib — he spit in the middle of my chest,” Smith shared.
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“The actor felt that the ad lib had gone well. So we do take two. I do my line. He does his line — and spits in the middle of my chest again… In the distance, I hear a voice. And Antoine says, ‘Hey, let’s do a take without the spit.’ And in that moment, I knew that God was real.”
Smith added, “I want to thank Gil [AAFCA cofounder Gil L. Robertson] and AAFCA. I want to thank all of you in this room for doing what you do, keeping our stories alive. I want to thank Apple, because the budget was one thing. And then the budget was another thing. And then the budget was another thing. And Apple never flinched.
“It was the first time I had heard from a studio that the story was more important than how much it costs to get it done… They make iPhones. They can do it.”
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Smith’s appearance comes a few days before Chris Rock is expected to address that slap on Saturday at his “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage” stand-up show.
The Netflix special is set to stream live from the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, with a source telling Page Six: “If you were waiting to see Rock on tour address the infamous Will Smith slap situation… the comedian is waiting to spill his humorous take on it on his live Netflix stand-up special.”
