Will Smith on The Famous Slap: The Best and Worst Night of My Life

Will Smith's slap on Chris Rock on the day he won the Oscar is a very cinematic story, perhaps even better than the movie for which he won the most important award in American cinema, and it is likely that our grandchildren will see it in a movie that immortalizes the story of the rise and fall of a star at the speed of a rocket.

After the famous slap, Will Smith disappeared from view. He did not appear in any television program or film shows, and only apologized on his YouTube channel, then returned again to the shadows, until the first and limited cinematic showing of his next movie, "Emancipation" in October. October 2022, and now he is facing his fans and haters at the same time by appearing on "The Daily Show" to shed some light on the events of that strange night.

The best and worst days of Will Smith's life

Although the episode started talking about the movie "Liberation", the main point for which Will Smith was hosted was the famous slap and what happened after it, and Smith described this night as definitely "one of the best nights of my life, and one of the worst."

He said in this regard, "A terrible night, in the end you never know what a person is going through," explaining that the person who seems very normal next to you now may have lost his mother a short time ago, or his work, or he has a major personal crisis, but it seems from The outside is natural, so no one knows exactly what is happening in the soul of anyone else.

"This does not justify my behavior at all," he continued.

And he continued that despite his constant efforts to become a kind person, he made this night difficult and unfortunate for others, which is what hurts him the most, as he does not wish to harm anyone.

"I had to forgive myself for being human," Smith said.

"Trust me, no one hates the fact that I'm a human being more than I do... I've always wanted to be Superman... I've had to humble myself, and realize I'm a flawed human being, but I still have a chance to go out into the world and contribute in a way that comforts my heart and, hopefully, helps others."

Ghost from the past!

Will Smith tried to clarify his feelings that night, but without begging for forgiveness from the viewers, or justifying his actions, which would definitely make the situation worse, and focused on his feelings at this moment, and as the host described the nucleus of the matter, Smith took "the right reaction at the wrong time."

The focal point that explains this slap is Smith remembering at this moment the younger version of himself, the child who was watching his mother being beaten by his father, without being able to stop this domestic violence, and how at that moment when his wife was being bullied and ridiculed he felt he had to protect her the way he didn't. He could have done it in the past, but at exactly the wrong moment for sure, and Smith described how he felt tonight, saying, "It was an anger that was pent up for a really long time."

Then he told the poignant story of coming home after winning an Oscar and having to explain his behavior to his 9-year-old nephew.

"He's the sweetest little boy. He stayed up late to see Uncle Will. We sat in the kitchen holding the Oscar. He asked, 'Why did you hit that guy?'"

Smith says, I felt at the time the chaos left by that slap, and I will not be able to justify or explain it to anyone adequately or clearly, as it is the daughter of a moment in which I experienced a lot of mixed feelings from the past and present.

Anticipation, anxiety, fear, and a ghost from the past watched Smith's actions and pushed him to make delayed reactions for decades.

fear of failure

This meeting comes as part of the promotional campaign that Will Smith is carrying out for his next movie, "Liberation", and he is greatly afraid of the audience's rejection of him because of this slap and the bad reputation that pursues him. In an interview with the American "Fox" channel that preceded his appearance on "The Daily Show" Smith said he fully respects if audiences aren't ready to see him in his upcoming film, "Liberation," but his "deep hope" is that his actions during the 2022 Academy Awards "don't punish the film's cast."

He acknowledges audiences' mixed feelings about watching it again, but his greatest concern is the film's cast and its ability to celebrate the work's technical achievements beyond what he did last March, and Smith singled out the work of director Antoine Fuqua, cinematographer Robert Richardson and production designer Naomi Chauhan. and costume designer Francine Jamison Tanchuck and star Charmaine Bengoa, calling it Fuqua's best work in his entire career.

He explained that these media meetings aim to make people watch this work with open hearts because of his belief in the story he presents, as "Tahrir" revolves around the period between the abolition of slavery in the United States, the activation of this law, and the suffering of African Americans through the story of "Peter", which spread A photograph of his tortured back has become worldwide evidence of the cruel treatment of slaves in the United States.

The film is expected to be shown next December 9, on “Apple TV+” (Apple TV+), after the special screening that was previously held in Washington, D.C. At the time, it won the admiration of limited viewers who saw it as a strong comeback for Will Smith after his Oscar victory.