Will would understand if movie is ‘shunned’

Hollywood actor Will Smith said he would understand if moviegoers are not ready to see his upcoming movie Emancipation, which will be the first to be released after he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars this March. Emancipation is a drama movie directed by Antoine Fuqua, who is best known for the movie Training Day which won Denzel Washington an Oscar.

“I completely understand — if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready,” Smith said, in a recent interview with a FOX 5 DC reporter. “My deepest concern is my team — Antoine has done what I think is the greatest work of his entire career.”

He added: “The people on this team have done some of the best work of their entire careers, and my deepest hope is that my actions don’t penalise my team.”

Smith faced backlash after he slapped Rock for his joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

“At this point, that’s what I’m working for. I’m hoping that the material — the power of the film, the timeliness of the story — I’m hoping that the good that can be done would open people’s hearts at a minimum to see and recognise and support the incredible artists in and around this film,” the actor said.