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The American actor Will Smith declared during an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he is concerned that the slap he gave to comedian Chris Rock, in the last installment of the Oscars, will cause his new film, “Emancipation”, to be affected in the awards season.
Smith confessed that he has lost a few seconds of sleep at night thinking that the team that worked on the film will be penalized for their actions at the Academy Awards ceremony.
“The only discomfort on my heart is that so many people have done an amazing job on this movie,” says Smith. My hope is that my team will not be penalized at all for my actions. I think (director) Antoine (Fuqua) and (director of photography) Robert (Richardson) and Ben (Foster) and Charmaine (Bingwa) – they’ve all done such a spectacular job,” she added. “I definitely lose a couple of seconds of sleep every night thinking I might have penalized my team, but I’ll do everything I can to make sure everyone is seen in the light they deserve,” she added.
While it’s unclear whether Smith will be nominated for his work on “Emancipation,” a film based on the true story of a slave known as “Whipped Peter,” whose photo of his whipped back provided worldwide proof of the cruelty of slave owners, slaves, you will not be able to accept the Oscar in person if you win it.
Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the organization slapped him with a 10-year ban from attending the Oscars ceremony after the slap.
Will added that he had seen the famous “Whipped Peter” photos as a child, though in later years he came to learn much more about him.
“I had seen the picture of ‘Whipped Peter’ as a child, but as its story came into focus I was moved in the most beautiful ways,” adding that Bill Collage’s script was “one of the best reads.”
“When you look at the brutality he suffered and then realize that through that he was able to maintain faith, gratitude and love in the face of those kinds of atrocities, I knew I wanted to learn from Peter,” Smith added.
Smith also spoke to Washington DC’s Fox 5 network, where he was asked what he would say to viewers who aren’t quite ready to see his work after the Oscar slap.
“I completely understand. If someone isn’t ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready,” Smith said. “My biggest concern is my team, you know, Antoine has done what I think is the best job of his entire career, I think,” he added. ‘The people on this team have done some of the best work of their entire career, and my deepest hope is that my actions don’t penalize my team. So, at this point, that It’s what I’m working for, that’s what I hope for,” Smith added.
He continued: “I hope that the material, the power of the film, the opportunity of the story, you know, I hope that the good that can be done opens people’s hearts to at least see, recognize and support the incredible artists in and around this film”.
“Emancipation” opens in theaters on December 2, before being released on the Apple TV Plus streaming service a week later on December 9.
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