Sean Penn clearly expresses his opinion about Will Smith and infamous slap at the Oscars ceremony.
Speaking in an interview, the Oscar-winning Mystic River and Milk actor commented on the controversy surrounding the 94th Academy Awards when Smith took to the stage to slap the comedian. Chris Rock after making a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Although Penn praised Smith’s acting talent, doesn’t respect his actions at the Oscars.
“I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once,” Penn said. “I thought he was very nice when I met him. He was damn good in King Richard. So why the hell did you spit on yourself and everyone else with this damn nonsense? Why am I in fucking jail because of what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? Why are you all standing around applauding his worst moment as a person?”
Why do we care about Sean Penn’s comments about Will Smith’s slap? Penn’s prison comment refers to the infamous actor’s arrest in 1987 on the set of the crime film Colors, when he attacked an extra who had photographed him outside the context of the film. After this incident, Penn served 33 days in prison. Ironically, LAPD officers reportedly asked Rock and Oscar producer Will Packer if Rock would press charges against Will Smith after the slap, but the comedian rejected the offer.
Will Smith won an Oscar that night, shortly after the slap.
Smith continued the evening with a win.Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. Although he apologized to the Academy during his acceptance speech, Smith did not publicly apologize to Rock until he released a written statement the next day. Smith then resigned. resignation from the Academy’s Board of Governors and it was suspended from Oscar events for the next ten years. Smith later shared his thoughts on what he called “a terrible night.”
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“You know, there’s a lot of nuance and complexity to all of this, but at the end of the day, I just got carried away,” Smith explained. “I would say, at the end of the day, you never know what someone is going through.” However, Smith addressed the fact that audiences may still be reluctant to support his film work after the slap and showed understanding for their feelings. “What have I learned? We just need to be kind to each other.” – said Smith. “You know, it’s difficult. And I think the most painful thing for me was that I took on my own pain and made life difficult for others. You know, I understand when they say that hurt people hurt other people.”
The Rock remained silent about the slap all year, except for a few subtle mentions in his comedy shows. The comedian broke his complete silence on the matter during his special appearance. Selective Outrage on Netflix. On this occasion, he sharply criticized Smith and his wife. Smith has not responded to Rock’s comments since then.