It’s been over a year since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, but the actor isn’t quite ready to move on. While promoting his new documentary, Penn couldn’t resist comparing the famous moment to Ukraine’s fight for its freedom from Russia. The 63-year-old actor — who himself spent 33 days in jail for punching an extra on the set of his 1987 film Colors — argued that the infamous slap would never have happened had Ukraine’s President and his friend Volodymyr Zelenskiy been allowed to speak at the awards show via a recorded appearance during both the 2022 and 2023 Oscars.
As for why the Academy turned down Zelenskyy, who is featured in his soon-to-be-released doc about his country’s struggle with Russia, the actor claims that the decision came down to “suspecting that he was too serious or perhaps too political” for the telecast. He said that if the Academy had allowed him to speak, the incident with Rock “never would have happened.”
Penn also argued that he’d have been willing to destroy his two Oscar statuettes in public had the Academy not scuttled his request to have Zelenskiy appear on the telecast, even though they did not have any evidence of the Ukrainian leader being involved in a conflict with Russia. He told Variety that he gave one of his statues to the leader to keep, adding that he told him to bring it back to Malibu after all this was over and that his country was safe.
While the Oscars are trying to move on from slapgate, it’s clear that the moment will remain an essential part of tonight’s telecast. The show’s producers have said they will not dwell on the controversy, but it is expected to be a significant talking point.
In addition to the slap, another controversial moment from last year’s Oscars was a speech by Donald Trump about the 2022 terrorist attack in Paris. The President referred to the bombings as an act of war, and some critics alleged his remarks were racist.
The 2023 Oscars are scheduled to air on Sunday. The nominees were announced this week, and the ceremony is expected to feature several politically charged speeches.
Last year, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, while he was presenting an award at the Academy Awards. The incident led to Smith apologizing and being banned from attending future Academy events for ten years.
Check out EW’s complete guide to this year’s telecast for more on the Oscars. We’re also breaking down every notable moment from the show’s history. It’s a lot to take in.
