By Mona Austin
Shocking moments on award shows usually involve a favorite nominee getting snubbed, a wardrobe malfunction or occasionally an envelope-pushing joke. This year's Oscars shocker was a slap heard around the world.
Will Smith appeared to instantly morph into a character he played and acted out violently in the middle of the Oscars broadcast Sunday night. He took his seat after physically assaulting Chris Rock, casting an awkward cloud over the remainder of the ceremony. Rock had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith being a future "G.I. Jane," comparing her shaved head to Demi Moore the actress who played a woman in the military in the original film, wearing a buzz cut. "Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you," Rock quipped. At first Mr. Smith laughed. Then he saw the bothered expression on his wife's face and stormed onto the stage, struck Rock with a powerful right hook and stormed right back to his seat.
Seeing the actor walk toward him, Rock said, "Uh oh. Here comes Richard," a reference to the role Smith was nominated for playing.
He did not see what was coming next -- a strike to his face. Exercising self-restraint, he held back from responding in kind and kept the show going.
It was not immediately clear if this was a planned moment. Earlier in the show co-host Regina Hall invited Smith to the stage for a mock COVID test and he did not play along, staying seated while others like Tyler Perry followed Hall's orders. Later, when he emerged from his seat unprompted to inflict bodily harm on a fellow-entertainer the room grew still. All suspicions about whether the incident was planned were erased when the actor sat back down and yelled from the top of his lungs to the jarred comedian: "Keep my name out of your f*cking mouth!" Rock replied, "I will," and proceeded to save the night by completing the presentation while noticeably shaken by the attack.
The shift in Will Smith's behavior is a red flag for mental/emotional stability of actors and so far is being completely ignored by the Hollywood establishment. The Academy released a statement on Twitter that did not directly address the issue:
"The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world."
Does the Academy plan to reprimand Smith? Will the Academy severe ties with him or view the uncharacteristic conduct as a forgivable isolated experience? Did they immediately check on Chris Rock.? Is he okay? Will he get some pay for his trouble? (Presenters and performers do not get paid customarily.) Perhaps the Academy is handling the matter quietly behind the scenes, but the silence and "show must go on" attitude reveals the health and safety of its members is not a priority.
P Diddy presented the award following Chris Rock. He did more to clear the air and acknowledge the situation than the Academy saying, “I did not know that this year was gonna be the most exciting Oscars ever. OK, Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family at the Gold Party. But right now we’re moving on with love—everybody, make some noise!”
Adding to the drama of the evening, Smith came back the stage a second time, picking up his first Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ricard Williams in "King Richard." With this win he swept the entire award season, yet the biggest night of his career was tainted by his bizarre conduct.
There were red flags in his acceptance speech in which he apologized to the Academy and his follow nominees, but not Rock. Here are a few of the excuses he used to justify his behavior:
"Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family."
"Art imitates life."
"I look like the crazy dad"
"Love makes you do crazy things."
All of these excuses suggest that Will Smith did what Richard Williams, the character he played would have done had he been in a situation where he felt disrespected. Oddly, in the movie "King Richard" the main character did not get into an altercation. It is not clear as to what part of his character's real life experience he could relate the violent confrontation to. However, the inability for an actor to separate their character from reality is a psychological affect that is a serious concern in Hollywood.
This distraction may or may not give the Academy a boost in viewership it was looking for after operating in pandemic mode for the past 3 years. The post-incident buzz on the internet was feverish. With so many other firsts and key moments that occurred, the Will Smith blow up was all everyone was talking about. Show producer Will Packer worked hard to pull an award who with waning interest out of the doldrum. If the show is successful by the number it will be for the wrong reasons.
UPDATE: The Board of Governors for the Oscars has begun an investigation and review process for the incident.
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