Will’s first screen appearance since the famous Oscar incident.
Will Smith appeared in the trailer for Emancipation, his first new movie to mark his return to the big screen since slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars
Will Smith appeared in the trailer of his first film since slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.
The Hollywood star, 54, is returning to the big screen in a movie about slavery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana called Emancipation.
He plays a man called Peter who attempts to flee from slave hunters after being separated from his loved ones during the Civil War.
The preview’s opening shows him wading through a swamp in a bid to scape, right before he’s warned that there «are many ways to die in a swamp».
«I fight them. They beat me. They whip me. They break the bones in my body more times I can count, but they never break me,» Will’s character says.
Will appeared in the AppleTV trailer for his first return to acting since he was banned from The Oscars following the famous altercation.
Doubt was previously cast over the director’s decision to still release the film as it was shot before the ordeal in March earlier this year.
Director Antoine Fuqua said the film was «more important than one bad moment» following the slap at the 94th Academy Awards.
He claimed in an interview with Vanity Fair that there «was never a conversation about the movie not coming out» and branded Will the «nicest person I’ve ever met».
«Of course I wanted people to see the film,» he told the outlet. «My conversation was always ‘Isn’t 400 years of slavery, of brutality, more important than one bad moment?’
«We were in Hollywood, and there’s been some really ugly things that have taken place, and we’ve seen a lot of people get awards that have done some really nasty things.»
Will jumped onto the stage at the glitzy awards earlier this year before slapping comedian Chris, 57, in the face after comments he made about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s, 50, shaved head.
«Keep my wife’s name out your f*****g mouth!» he famously chants in a now viral video moment.
After the shocking ordeal, Antoine’s film’s release date became unknown, but last month Apple announced that it would be in cinemas on December 2 and available for streaming on December 9.
The flick also qualifies for next year’s awards and, despite being banned from the prestigious bash for the next 10 years, Will can still be nominated for a gong.
