Will Smith claims that he has trouble sleeping because of the notorious Oscars slap and how it might affect his upcoming movie, Emancipation.
The 54-year-old actor from The Pursuit of Happyness garnered international attention earlier this year when he slapped comedian Chris Rock at the illustrious event.
Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, which set the whole thing off.
The actor received the Best Actor Oscar that same night for his work in King Richard.
His 10-year exclusion from the Oscars gala and other Academy functions overshadowed his accomplishment, though.
Smith has finally spoken up about the incident’s long-term effects on him and his profession.
Watch The Infamous Moment Below
The I Am Legend star told Entertainment Weekly in an interview:
“The only discomfort my heart has around that is that so many people have done spectacular work on this film.
“My hope is that my team isn’t penalised at all for my actions. I think (director) Antoine (Fuqua) and (cinematographer) Robert (Richardson) and Ben (Foster) and Charmaine (Bingwa) – everyone has done such spectacular work.”
He added: “I definitely lose a couple winks of sleep every night thinking that I could have potentially penalised my team, but I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that everyone gets seen in the light that they deserve.”
Since the incident, Smith has repeatedly apologised to Rock and his fans.
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Smith said on Instagram the day after the Oscars that his behaviour was “out of line” and that he was “embarrassed” by it.
He wrote:
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive.
“My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.
“Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
“I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.
“I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.
“There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
Smith talked about Emancipation’s script in other sections of his conversation with Entertainment Weekly.
Based on a true event, the movie follows slave Peter as he escapes a Louisiana farm after being whipped.
Smith praised the script and said:
“I had seen the image of Whipped Peter as a child, but as his story started to come into focus, I was moved in all of the most beautiful ways.
“When you look at the brutality that he suffered, and then realising that through that he was able to sustain faith, gratitude, and love in the face of those kinds of atrocities – I knew that I wanted to learn from Peter.”
