Will Smith, on his second trip to the stage on Sunday at the Academy Awards, won the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, in “King Richard.”

In a tearful speech that ran two or three times longer than the usual, Smith seemed to make clear that when he slapped presenter Chris Rock in the face a few minutes earlier it was not a comedy bit, it was real.

“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said, as he began a long explanation of both his character and his own desire to protect people.

“Now I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse, you got to be able to have people talk crazy about you,” he continued. “In this business, you’ve got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile and pretend that’s OK.”

Smith slapped Rock in the face after taking offense at a joke Rock made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

US actor Will Smith (R) slaps US actor Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 27, 2022. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

“Denzel said to me a couple minutes ago, ‘At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you,’” he said.

“I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees,” Smith said.

He did not apologize to Rock.

“Art imitates life,” he continued. “I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.

“Thank you for this honor, thank you for this moment,” Smith wrapped up. “I hope the Academy invites me back, thank you.”

Moments earlier, Jane Campion won best director for “Power Of The Dog,” giving this year’s most-nominated film, with 12, its first win of the night.

“I love directing because it’s a deep dive into story, yet the start of manifesting a world can be overwhelming,” Campion said. “The sweet thing is I’m not alone.”

Best original song went, as expected to Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell for “No Time To Die,” the title track and theme for the latest James Bond movie.

Related Articles