Will Smith 'Creepily' Predicted Chris Rock Slap, Oscars Ban, Own Career 'Downfall?'
Will Smith's newly-released interview seemingly mirrored the events that happened at the Oscars.
Talks about Smith's Chris Rock slap at the Oscars are yet to quiet down over a month since the incident occurred. While the actor and his family already started their healing journey, the topic became more prominent again following the release of his past interview.
In his recently-released interview with David Letterman on Netflix's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction," Smith talked about his experiences with his late father and his "King Richard" role.
The discussion was recorded before the Oscars, but his statements seemingly resonated with what he went through during and after the ceremony.
He first talked about taking a break from acting to focus on his memoir. Smith told Letterman that the book unlocked a part of him as an actor.
"Life is so exciting to me right now because I can reach people differently than I've ever been able to reach people, largely because of my pain," he said, as quoted by People. "I'm really ready to dive into my heart in a way that I think will be, hopefully, fulfilling for me and helpful for the human family."
Smith added that it is not real that a person cannot protect their family - something that explains why he defended Jada Pinkett Smith when Rock joked about her shaved head.
Will Smith Knows Anything Can Be Gone in a Second
The "King Richard" actor also sounded like he predicted his fate after the Oscars slap, saying that one of the realizations he has in life includes his awareness that a person can lose everything in a snap.
"Protection and safety is an illusion. You have to learn to live with the reality that any moment, anything can be gone in one second. So with that reality, how can you be here? And how can you be joyful and be here?" he told the 75-year-old host.
The episode reminded the viewers that it was recorded before the 2022 Oscars. Although Smith did not know what would happen to him, his statements definitely fitted what he did and experienced at the ceremony.
Smith officially resigned from the Academy before the organization put him on a 10-year ban. He also accepted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' decision and decided to focus on healing after slapping Rock.
