Tiffany Haddishshowed up to supportWill Smithat the Los Angeles premiere of his new film Wednesday.
This week’s premiere comes around eight months after Will struck Chris Rock onstage atthe Oscarsin March after Rock made a joke about Jada’s shaved head. (The actress, 51, lives with alopecia.) Will — who resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and wasbanned from attending its ceremoniesfor the next 10 years — recalled on theDaily ShowMonday that he “lost it”
“You just don’t know what’s going on with people, and I was going through something that night. Not that that justifies my behavior at all,” he told host Trevor Noah of the incident.
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At the Governors Ball directly afterthe Oscarsearlier this year, Haddishtold PEOPLE her reaction to the controversialmoment when Will hit Rock, 57, onstage.
“When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife, that meant so much to me,” she said at the time. “As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say, ‘Keep my wife’s name out your mouth, leave my wife alone,’ that’s what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you.”
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“And that meant the world to me. And maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives.”
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On theEmancipationred carpet, Will told PEOPLE why he wanted to make the new drama, which tells the true story of a man who escapes slavery.
“I just felt like I was seeing a lot of the same patterns where we’re starting to creep up in the American media and social media. I wanted to be a part of creating something that could be helpful,” he said. “There’s a harsh reality in this film that I feel when you confront it, when you have to look at it, I hope it creates empathy and compassion that will help us to avoid some of the same paths that we went down as a country in the past.”
From left: Trey Smith, Willow Smith, Jaden Smith, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.Amy Sussman/WireImage
Will said in avideo earlier this summerthat he has been doing “a lot of thinking and personal work” in the months sincethe Oscarsincident.
He added, “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out. So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Will explained at the time that he is “trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself,” adding, “I’m human. I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s—.”
source: people.com
