Will Smith, an American actor, has admitted that his decision to slap comedian Chris Rock on stage during the Oscars was the result of “bottled” rage from his childhood.
As you may recall, Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada’s shaved head before Smith stormed the stage at the Hollywood awards ceremony.Jada had a hair loss condition known as alopecia.
Smith was publicly questioned about the attack for the first time during his Monday interview with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show.
The actor claimed that he called the evening “a horrific night.”
“I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behaviour at all.” Will said.
“I just – I lost it.
“I understand how shocking that was for people.
“I was gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time.”
Smith continued that it had numerous nuances and complexities.
He disclosed that he was raised in a violent home while talking about the circumstances of his Oscars assault.
He said “It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That’s not who I want to be.
“I guess what I would say is that you just never know what somebody’s going through,”.
“In the audience right now, you’re sitting next to strangers, and somebody’s mother died last week. You know? Somebody’s child is sick. Somebody just lost their job. Somebody just found out their spouse cheated.
“There’s all these things, and you just don’t know what’s going on with people. And I was going through something that night.
“I had to forgive myself for being human.
“Trust me, there’s nobody that hates the fact that I’m human more than me… I’ve always wanted to be Superman. I’ve always wanted to swoop in and save the damsel in distress.
“And I had to humble down and realise that I’m a flawed human, and I still have an opportunity to go out in the world and contribute in a way that fills my heart and hopefully helps other people.” He added.