The slapping incident at this year’s Academy Award ceremony was easily one of the most talked about events in the world. It involved actor Will Smith going on stage and slapping host Chris Rock for cracking a joke about his wife’s baldness. The move met with all kinds of reactions.
Now, Antoine Fuqua, the director of Smith’s upcoming film ‘Emancipation‘ has defended the Oscar-winning actor. He also addressed whether his team contemplated shelving the film after the incident. Let’s find out in detail what the 56-year-old filmmaker said.
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‘Emancipation’ Director Defends Will Smith
Director Antoine Fuqua is gearing up for the Apple TV+’s slavery period drama, starring Smith. The film was in the works when the infamous Oscar slap incident took place earlier this year.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Fuqua defended Smith’s action. He said that the slap “didn’t feel real to me at all because I was with Will for two years, and I haven’t met a nicer human being.”
He continued, “I’m being honest about it. He was kind to everyone on the set. So, I saw a different person than that one moment in time, and so my reaction was that particular moment is very foreign to me when it comes to Will Smith.”
“I have nothing but amazing things to say about Will Smith, really genuinely. You can ask anybody that worked on the movie, they’ll tell you the same. Nicest person I’ve ever met in my life. Chris Rock — I know Chris — Chris is a good guy too. I’ve spent time with Chris, and I think it’s an unfortunate event, and I hope we can move forward and get past it,” Fuqua added.
Fuqua Also Talked About The Film’s Fate
Right after the slapping incident, Smith was banned from entering any Academy event for ten years. Several celebs criticized him for his actions. There were also reports of directors dropping him from projects.
Fuqua talked about whether they contemplated canceling or shelving the film or not. “Of course I wanted people to see the film,” he said. “My conversation was always, ‘Isn’t 400 years of slavery, of brutality, more important than one bad moment?’”
He added, “We were in Hollywood, and there’s been some really ugly things that have taken place, and we’ve seen a lot of people get awards that have done some really nasty things.”
“So, I think Apple considered all those things, and we discussed a lot of those things. Then, a decision was made by the people in charge of distribution and the money at Apple — and I’m grateful. I’m really grateful.”
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