Will Smith could boast of being one of Hollywood’s most renowned and celebrated actors. Audience affection, non-stop projects and the presence of mythical popular culture titles made him someone untouchable in the industry. but Everything has changed from his punch to Chris Rock at the last Oscar galaand now the setting seems to be reversed.
One only has to look at the reactions the entertainment world is showing to the most talked about moment of 2022. Though it initially appeared Smith would continue to dance in the water regardless of his take on stage at the Dolby Theater — he particularly appreciated the noise he was applauded with after winning the Oscar after the incident — the actor from The Williams Method experienced the consequences of the violent abduction in front of millions of viewers, with project breaks, giving up important positions or jokes that would have been unthinkable before a Hollywood bigwig like him.
Will Smith at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party (Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/Getty Images)
First up, we caught up with Hollywood Academy themselves after seeing Smith’s reaction to Chris Rock’s joke about Jada Pinkett Smith announced that it would launch an investigation and take retaliatory action. The actor, who likely sensed a possible suspension from his academic membership, avoided sharing the shame with established controversial figures such as Harvey Weinstein or Roman Polanski individually resigned to the spot that allowed him to vote at the Oscars. But it shouldn’t stop there.
Faced with the controversy and knowing that the actor will be with him for a long time, studios such as Sony or Netflix kept in limbo the films they were preparing with him. In the first case, they have pigeonholed the fourth part of Two Rebel Policemen, a film that would reunite the actor with Martin Lawrence following the success of 2020’s Bad Boys for Life. Looking at the box office data of one, which became the latest pre-pandemic hit with over $426 million worldwide, it seems clear that Sony could bring the project back once the dust settles, but for now it’s a blow for Smith, who is left without any of his star projects due to poor image.
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Although worse seems to be the case Fast and easy, the film I prepared with Netflix. It’s an action thriller about a crime boss who loses his memory after an incident and finds out that he has a double identity as a CIA agent. Before the Oscars controversy came to the fore, director David Leitch had left the film to take on Fall Guy with Universal, adding to Smith’s current case and prompting the streaming service to halt the project. Although in this case, according to media such as The Hollywood ReporterShe was “understandably cautious” about continuing with it in the future or doing it with another star or director.
On the other hand, they also applied to Netflix for a film about the life of Will Smith. Given the actor’s cache, there was a tight battle with Apple TV+ to get it the rights to his autobiographical book which involved a multi-million dollar investment, but they learn from The Sun that both companies had pulled out of the bid after the events at the Oscars. And that’s without a doubt a major setback that shows just how badly Smith has gambled away his career and his chances of striving for a high reputation with high earnings per project.
And it’s even clearer that in just a week, it’s become a weird destination.
While only a few days ago he appeared as a respected and untouchable person who seemed to receive only support and affection, from programs like Saturday night live They’ve started baiting with his character parodying his annotated swipe at Chris Rock. It happened on April 2 when comedians Jerrod Charmichael and Chris Redd stepped in to address the issue by playing Smith himself and a random bystander in the Oscar seats.
The sketch recreates a Will Smith immersed in his role as a Hollywood influencer, unaware or caring about the consequences, while continuing to chat with the fan amid the chaotic moment.
And that’s not the only example, because the same weekend the Grammy Awards also took part to parody Will Smith and his slap in the face. It was Trevor Noah, the comedian in charge of the gala, who, in his opening remarks referred to the controversial words Smith used to address Rock after beating him on stage.
“We’re going to listen to music, we’re going to dance, we’re going to sing, we’re going to keep people’s names out of our mouths and we’re going to be giving out prizes throughout the night. “joked Noah, directly related to the “Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth” line the Williams Method actor uttered at the Oscars.
He also dared to revisit the controversy during the Grammys when the musician presented Questlove with an award. “I’m going to present this award and I trust that they will stay 150 meters from me,” he joked before presenting the Grammy for best song of the year.
It’s clear how much Will Smith spoiled the Oscars in just a few seconds. No matter how much reputation he has behind him, an act of violence is unjustifiable and the consequences are inevitable. And it is that neither the public nor the industry can turn a deaf eye to this event seen by millions of spectators around the world and which has caused controversy and debate ever since. At the endSmith is left with no choice but to accept the consequences of his actions and this new title in Hollywood and become the laughing stock of his industry from respected star.