Will Smith was right and stormed onto the stage to punch Chris Rock in the face. When he was back in his place, he said, “Never take my wife’s name out of your damn mouth again!” It turned out that it was not a repeated act. “This is a live broadcast for millions of people,” explains film journalist Lieven Van Gils. “Will Smith will definitely never do that script in there. Apparently they already cut the footage in the States.”
During his acceptance speech, Smith himself implicitly explained what he had done just before. He said he wanted to protect the people he loves. The actor won his first Oscar for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. “He also wanted to protect his family,” Smith said.
“Art imitates life. I look like a crazy father, but love makes people do crazy things.” The actor has apologized to the Academy of Oscars and his fellow nominees. “You feel that he is very emotionally involved with this character,” says Lieven Van Gils. “He also wants to protect his family and in that context he is apparently pulled from his claws†
“It’s a beautiful moment,” Will Smith said. It was Smith’s third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. This time he was finally allowed to receive it.