Will Smith‘s altercation with comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards may already be affecting his production company, Westbrook.
While speaking to The Wrap, an anonymous agent in Hollywood stated that, following the slap, they are “not giving Westbrook any projects.” They continued, “And I may even blow up the ones that I have that are currently in negotiations. What’s Westbrook without Will? Nothing.” Westbrook was founded in 2019 by Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and co-produced King Richard, as well as Netflix’s Cobra Kai, Peacock’s Bel-Air and Pinkett Smith’s talk show, Red Table Talk.
“I think he’s not setting up many — if any — projects until the fall. And he just cost himself a premium,” the agent said, going on to compare Smith’s act at the Oscars to the public outbursts of actors like Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise. “His brand is permanently tarnished in regards to (four-quadrant films, which appeal to all audiences). This just became his Tom Cruise/Mel Gibson moment, where he’s always going to be a star, but he just went from A+ to A and gave people like Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Tom Holland a clearer lane.”
While presenting at the Oscars, Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, wherein he said, “Jada, I love you– G.I Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” Pinkett Smith has spoken publically about her struggles with alopecia and Smith, in response to the joke, shocked the audience — and Rock — by walking on stage and slapping the comedian across the face. While the audio of the broadcast was immediately censored, uncensored footage surfaced later online, in which Smith can be heard yelling, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
Smith was later awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard. In the days following the ceremony, the actor issued a formal apology for the slap, which he called “unacceptable and inexcusable.” In his statement, Smith apologized to Rock directly, saying, “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.” He also apologized to “the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.”
Rock briefly addressed the slap during a recent sold-out stand-up show in Boston during his ongoing Ego Death World Tour. “I don’t have a bunch of sh-t about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend,” the comedian told the audience. “I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point, I’ll talk about that sh-t. And it will be serious and funny.”
Many of Hollywood’s elite have come to Rock’s defense, including Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, comedian Kathy Griffin, Rob, actor Sophia Bush, director Judd Apatow, Jim Carrey and Rock’s friend and frequent collaborator, Adam Sandler.
Source: The Wrap
About The Author