Will Smith, the consequences of the slap
The Will Smith slap Chris Rock it cost the actor dearly, who will now have to pay the consequences of his impulsive gesture during the night of last March 27th.
In some previous articles we have already dealt in depth with the story that took place during one of the most anticipated ceremonies in the world of cinema, the Oscar 2022which today can be considered one of the worst editions evernot only because of a constantly decreasing share, but also and above all for the slap Will Smith threw at Chris Rockreacting to an unfortunate joke said by the comedian about alopecia di Jada Pinkett-Smith, wife of the actor. The story has been on everyone’s lips for weeks and today it seems that we have reached some rather severe conclusions.
The Academy’s Board of Governors, made up of distinguished figures from the film scene including Steven Spielberg, Laura Dern And Whoopi Goldbergmet via Zoom yesterday, April 8, to discuss what measures to take against the actor, who on April 1 decided to make his resignation from the Academy, after apologizing publicly not only with the latter, but also with the person concerned, Chris Rock.
The Academy had initially considered the possibility of revoke the Oscar won by the actor that same evening, for the lead role in A winning family – King Richard, but it was later considered that this solution was not adequate. Indeed it would have been a excessive measureespecially considering that the revocation of the Oscar has never been ordered even in more serious circumstances.
Suffice it to recall, for example, the case of Harvey Weinstein, former film producer and co-founder of Miramax, convicted of assaults and rape; or again Roman Polanskia director who for fear of ending up in prison for a case of sexual assault on a minor, has been a fugitive in France since 1978, although over the years he has still achieved several awards, including the Oscar for directing de The pianist in 2003.
In short, the revocation of the Oscar would have been a truly disproportionate measure. Despite this, the Academy stressed the need to adopt some form of sanction against Will Smithdeclaring:
“This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step towards a greater goal: to protect the safety of our artists and guests, and to restore trust in the Academy. We also hope that this can begin a period of healing and restoration for all those involved and affected ”.
The Academy then said it was sorry di did not know how to adequately manage the situation during live television:
“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to lead by example to our guests, spectators and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short, unprepared for an unprecedented event.the”.
The Academy measure: Will Smith banned from the Oscars for the next 10 years
After a long reflection, the Academy came to a decision: Will Smith will no longer be able to participate, either in person or virtually, in future events organized by the Academy for the next ten years. This does not mean that the actor will no longer be able to be a candidate for his future performances, but he will simply no longer be able to take part in the upcoming ceremonies and others will have to collect any prizes on behalf of Will Smith. Moreover, this is not the first time in which it is decided to expel someone from such events, as mentioned above.
Could it be too severe a measure for a slap? Perhaps, but the Academy has repeatedly specified its willingness to dissociate itself from this gesture and from any other manifestation of violence, so it would be a matter of exemplary decision, which highlights a position taken by the same. On the other hand, Will Smith is taking on its responsibilities and has accepted the decision made towards it:
“I accept and respect the decision of the Academy”
Some projects at risk
However, it seems that the consequences of the slap do not concern only the expulsion from the Oscars for the next ten years. Some projects they saw Will Smith as the protagonist, in fact, they have been suspended. Among these in particular we remember Fast and Loosebranded project Netflix for which negotiations were in progress for a director. The streaming giant has declared that it has suspended the search for a new director and it is not clear if the film will ever see the light, perhaps even replacing the lead actor.
Another project in the pipeline was Emancipationa drama about slavery that Apple TV + bought for 120 million dollars. The film should have been released this year, but after the recent events, the studios involved have not set any release dates. And again we remember that it was in the works Bad Boys 4: the film was in more than advanced stages but Sony has decided to put the brakes on the project for now.
