Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor defends Will Smith’s Oscars slapgate

Los Angeles, Aug 14 (IANS) Hollywood actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who shared the screen with actor Will Smith, in ‘King Richard’, has defended the actor’s shocking Oscars slap, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.

The actress, who essayed the role of Will Smith’s on-screen wife as the mother of Venus and Serena Williams in the biopic, told ‘Obsessed’ podcast that she empathises with actor as he stormed the stage in 2022 and smacked Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

She said, “I know that he wanted to protect his wife. I stand by that. I stand with him for that”.

After Will Smith slapped the comedian, he came back to his seat, and screamed, “Keep my wife’s name out your f****** mouth”.

Later, the actor won the Academy Award for best actor, but the surprise act of violence later earned him a 10-year ban from all events hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor shared, “I think that, you know, this idea that First Amendment rights should protect everybody? I don’t think it should necessarily protect assholes. I don’t. I don’t. I really don’t, especially if you’re causing harm”.

Being from Mississippi, the actress said she is used to hearing protected speech defending the Confederate flag.

“I know blanket First Amendment valorization. I don’t buy into that. I just don’t. To say the least, it needs to be nuanced. You can’t use it as an excuse to harm someone”, she shared.

As the slap was caught on live television, it became a national scandal that affected Smith’s career. He was banned from attending the Oscars for a decade, and his film ‘Emancipation’ was delayed.

“He just would not allow anybody to be treated poorly in his presence. He would just not allow it. And I cannot tell you how rare that is in this job. I will always have a great deal of affection and care for him because he acted that way”, the actress added.

–IANS

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