Even though some of Will Smith’s projects are being shelved following the now infamous Oscar slap, there is one director making it publicly known that he would work with the actor again, despite the controversy.
Michael Bay previously directed Will Smith in Bad Boys and Bad Boys II and he feels that the recent backlash against the actor is a bit unwarranted. During a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Bay makes it clear that he doesn’t condone the slap but he also thinks that way more is being made of it in the media and that we should focus on more important things:
“At first, immediately I’m like, Did this just happen? Then I saw the yell from Will. That’s a real Will yell. Will is an amazing fighter. He’s studied boxing. First of all, it’s wrong to do, no matter what. Let’s just get that out there. But when people said, ‘Oh, he could have killed him.’ No, a slap is different. A punch? Yeah, you can kill someone. Will gave him a slap. I’m thinking, Everyone’s talking about this, but you know what? You start thinking about life and it’s like, ‘Oh, my God.’ Because I’ve been very affected by this Ukrainian war right now. I’m friends with the Klitschko brothers. I’ve been to Kyiv, I’ve met with the mayor. And I’m like, you know what? There are babies getting blown up by the hundreds right now and people are so concerned about this. I don’t know. To me, it’s just like, enough of it. All right, so a dramatic thing happened, but I just think we’ve got to get our priorities straight.”
After Bay expressed that our focus needs to be on more pressing matters, he was asked if he would work with Will Smith in the future and the director said, “Absolutely, 100 percent. He’s a very even-keeled guy. Very even-keeled.” It’s becoming more clear that the behavior he displayed on Oscar night is not something he is known for. Smith clearly had a moment and expressed some anger in a way that is inexcusable but he’s human like all of us and made a mistake. Unfortunately, his mistake has a light shined on it and it likely won’t be forgotten until a new scandal takes its place.
It’s interesting because I was particularly triggered when this all first happened but I’ve softened on it a bit as the days go by. I don’t condone his actions but he’s being “punished” by the appropriate parties and I’m sure no one feels more embarrassed by all of this than the man himself. We don’t have to support someone’s actions in order to say that they shouldn’t be defined by just one moment. Will Smith has pretty much had an unscathed reputation until all of this. He’s someone who has done a lot of good in the industry. Let’s not try to wash all of that away because of one moment.
What are YOUR thoughts on Michael Bay saying he would work with Will Smith following the Oscar slap?