The Slap and the Apology: Will Smith’s Most Important Performance

Will Smith accepts the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., March 27, 2022. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) New Black Hollywood is resetting the terms of race, gender, and art.

Will Smith deserved his Academy Award at Sunday night’s Oscar ceremonies — not for his mush-mouthed performance in King Richard but for his more instructive display of Millennial black male confusion.

No one should feel superior to what has been called Smith’s “lack of self-control” when he walked on stage and slapped comic Chris Rock, or to Smith’s teary-eyed conflation of shame and ego when he later accepted an Oscar as Best Actor. Both moments ripped the lid off the Oscar charade...

Contains Mention
Mar 30th 2022
Full review >>
Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry Hmm Dislike