A few weeks after the incident of the slap inflicted on Chris Rock, the actor wins the BET Award for his interpretation of the father and trainer of tennis champions.
A slap in the face during the most important film ceremony in the world obviously does not prevent winning prizes. Will Smith is again rewarded for his role in The Williams Method. The Hollywood star won Best Actor at the 22e edition of the BET Awards, Sunday June 26 in Los Angeles. This ceremony rewards African-American and minority artists. In The Williams Methodthe actor holds the main role, that of Richard Williams, father and trainer of the phenomenal champions of tennis, Venus and Serena Williams.
A slap then projects on hold
In March 2022, Will Smith won the Oscar for best actor, a first for him. A consecration nevertheless overshadowed by the slap he had given live to Chris Rock, a few minutes earlier. The comedian had made a “joke” on the bald head of Jada Pinkett Smith, victim of alopecia.
Just a few weeks after this violent reaction, the actor’s career seemed to suffer. For example, the movie Badboys 4, yet well advanced, and whose first parts had thrilled the box office, has been stopped for an indefinite period. It’s the same for Fast and Loose on Netflix, in which the star must play the role of an amnesiac mobster. For the moment, the only commitment held by Will Smith is Emancipation whose release on Apple+ has only been postponed until 2023. The film is inspired by the true story of Gordon, a black slave in the 1860s who escapes from a plantation and joins the Union Army.
Following the outrageous slap, the actor was banned for ten years from any Academy Awards ceremony or event. But the BET Awards do not depend on the Hollywood academy. The hero of Prince of Bel Air was therefore entitled to receive his trophy. But, perhaps to avoid shocking his critics and also his admirers, he preferred to abstain by not going to the awards ceremony.
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