Will Smith, American actor, has won the Oscar for best actor at the 94th Academy Awards, held on Sunday night at the Dolby theatre in Los Angeles – after slapping comedian Chris Rock at the event over his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith joke.
Smith won the prize for his role as Richard Williams, father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard, a biopic that outlined Williams’ role in the sisters’ stellar success. The film was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and stars Smith in the title role, alongside Aunjanue Ellis as his wife Brandy, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena, and Jon Bernthal as tennis coach Rick Macci. Venus and Serena Williams acted as executive producers on the project.
Smith was the biggest event of the busy award ceremony that initially seemed scripted as he jumped on stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife.
Speaking after the slap incident, Smith said: “I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family. In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world.
“Making this film, I got to protect Aunjanue Ellis, who is one of the strongest, most delicate people I’ve ever met. I got to protect Saniyya and Demi, the two actresses that played Venus and Serena. I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. You got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business you got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile and you got to pretend like that’s okay.”