Will Smith’s masterful performance in King Richard earned the Philadelphia native the Best Actor Award at the 94th Academy Awards. The film follows the story of the father of the two US tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams.
Will Smith, before receiving the prestigious award, did not like a tasteless joke made by comedian Chris Rock towards his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith couldn’t keep control and punched Chris Rock in the face after he reached the stage.
Almost a year after the incident, Serena Williams came back to talk about the episode that she caused so much discussion in an interview with Gayle King for CBS Mornings.
Serena Williams defends Will Smith from Oscar slap criticism
She explained: “I think it was an extraordinary film, awarded immediately after by Questlove, but it was overshadowed by the story. But I also think I’ve been in a position where I’ve been under a lot of pressure and made terrible mistakes.
I’m the type of person who says: I’ve been in this position too. I made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world. We are all imperfect and we are all human: We just try to be kind to each other. This is often forgotten.”
Will Smith immediately apologized for the bad reaction and explained: “I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behavior at all. I understand how shocking it was for people. I went out. That was a rage that had been repressed for a long time. It was a horrible night, as you can imagine.”
The American actor managed to identify himself like no one else in Richard Williams, father of the two champions Serena and Venus, and told the story of one of the most famous families in the history of sport in the best way. The Academy, via Twitter, condemned the gesture made by Will Smith and specified that he does not condone violence in any form.
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