Official Oscars 2022 Nominations And Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

What significant punishment? He just can't go back to a party. Being at the Oscars is not a right.

What more do you want them to do to the guy?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Man, some people just love to have their pound of flesh!

 

[Jake Lipson]

What significant punishment? He just can't go back to a party.

For a movie star of Will Smith's stature, not being able to attend the Oscars is a significant punishment. He will not be able to carry on the tradition of the Best Actor winner handing out the Best Actress Oscar next year. He will also not be able to attend Academy functions on behalf of eligible films that he makes, including Emancipation which was expected to be an Oscar contender next year. That is a big deal and this incident may impact how voters receive films like that. They also probably would have expelled him from membership if he hadn't already taken away that option from them by voluntarily resigning first.

 

[Robert Crawford]

For a movie star of Will Smith's stature, not being able to attend the Oscars is a significant punishment. He will not be able to carry on the tradition of the Best Actor winner handing out the Best Actress Oscar next year. He will also not be able to attend Academy functions on behalf of eligible films that he makes, including Emancipation which was expected to be an Oscar contender next year. That is a big deal and may impact how voters receive films like that.

Furthermore, he's not really able to celebrate his Oscar win. He's in a self imposed exile. All of it is his fault, but the dude is paying for his poor behavior.

 

[Bryan^H]

The real punishment for Will Smith will be his next movie role or lack thereof. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I think the cloud over his head will follow him for a long time. It will be an uphill battle trying to secure a great movie role again I think.


I know he doesn't need the money, but that really isn't the point. I like Will Smith as an actor, and have enjoyed his work for years (really wish he would have taken the lead in Django Unchained). His punishment from the Academy will run much deeper than just a 10 year ban, he also has the public opinion of him to repair.

 

[TravisR]

The real punishment for Will Smith will be his next movie role or lack thereof. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I think the cloud over his head will follow him for a long time. It will be an uphill battle trying to secure a great movie role again I think.

I think the movies that he already has in the pipeline will determine that. If they're successful, he'll continue getting the big roles. If not, he'll make Bad Boys 4 and be right back where he wants to be.

 

[Jake Lipson]

If they're successful, he'll continue getting the big roles.

His next film is Emancipation, which is for Apple TV+. Even if it does get a theatrical release (which I'm not clear on), Apple chooses not to release grosses. I haven't seen them release streaming numbers either. So while I agree with what you're saying, I'm not sure what data will be available to people outside of Apple to determine if it is successful or not.

If not, he'll make Bad Boys 4 and be right back where he wants to be.

Sony paused this last week. Apparently he received script pages before the Oscars, but now Sony wants to back off. The third film was the #1 movie of the year in 2020 before the pandemic hit, so obviously there was interest on the part of the public to revisit that franchise. I guess we'll have to see what happens now.

As I noted earlier in this thread, I don't consider myself a Will Smith fan. Most of the time, he picks projects that aren't for me. However, I personally wouldn't have a problem with watching a new Will Smith movie if he makes something that looks interesting to me. That's just my opinion.

 

[TravisR]

His next film is Emancipation, which is for Apple TV+. Even if it does get a theatrical release (which I'm not clear on), Apple chooses not to release grosses. I haven't seen them release streaming numbers either. So while I agree with what you're saying, I'm not sure what data will be available to people outside of Apple to determine if it is successful or not.

I assume that while the specifics might not be known, the word gets out to the people in the industry if the movie completely flatlines.

Sony paused this last week. Apparently he received script pages before the Oscars, but now Sony wants to back off. The third film was the #1 movie of the year in 2020 before the pandemic hit, so obviously there was interest on the part of the public to revisit that franchise. I guess we'll have to see what happens now.

They're just waiting for the heat to die down. It'd be one thing if he killed a guy or slapped a woman but this is just a matter of time and the public will still go see his movies.

As I noted earlier in this thread, I don't consider myself a Will Smith fan. Most of the time, he picks projects that aren't for me. However, I personally wouldn't have a problem with watching a new Will Smith movie if he makes something that looks interesting to me. That's just my opinion.

Same here. I think Will Smith is a very charismatic and talented actor. Despite his talent and great screen presence, I can count the number of movies of his that I like on two or three fingers.

 

[SamT]

What more do you want them to do to the guy?

Obviously as I said nothing more. Being banned from the Oscars is the appropriate consequence. The only discussion would be about the duration.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Obviously as I said nothing more. Being banned from the Oscars is the appropriate consequence. The only discussion would be about the duration.

Then I don't understand the motivation behind your previous post as it implied that Smith didn't receive a severe enough punishment. Anyhow, he F***** Up! He knows that now as he deals with the repercussions for his ill-advised actions.

With that said, he can recover from that night, but is he willing to do the necessary work in doing so? He's already fell on his sword, now will he do the necessary things to really rehabilitate his reputation? IMO, I don't think so, but will take the easier route by taking a break and laying low until the public outcry has die down. His lawyers and public relations people will probably advise him to take that easy route as they did with his released apology statement, Academy resignation and total acceptance of his 10 year ban.

 

[Matt Hough]

Also, Americans in general (1) are a forgiving lot, and (2) have short memories. His immediate world may be a little chaotic right now, but I think his future will be fine.

 

[TravisR]

Also, Americans in general (1) are a forgiving lot, and (2) have short memories.

And they also love the comeback so Will will be good.

 

[SamT]

One more thing they could do is to invite back Chris Rock next year to host the Oscars. That would be great.

 

[Johnny Angell]

If only Smith had leaned over to his wife and said “I’m sorry honey, he shouldn’t have said that. I’ll talk to him later.” Now what he really needs to do is to publicly meet Chris Rock and apologize with no reservations. No “you shouldn’t have said that.” It’s got to be “I want way over the line and I’m deeply sorry. Please accept my apology.”

Anyway, I’m not going to throw away any of his movies, I’m not going to let this determine whether I attend a movie of his. I’m going to continue to enjoy his art.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

If only Smith had leaned over to his wife and said “I’m sorry honey, he shouldn’t have said that. I’ll talk to him later.” Now what he really needs to do is to publicly meet Chris Rock and apologize with no reservations. No “you shouldn’t have said that.” It’s got to be “I want way over the line and I’m deeply sorry. Please accept my apology.”

Anyway, I’m not going to throw away any of his movies, I’m not going to let this determine whether I attend a movie of his. I’m going to continue to enjoy his art.

I think Will Smith has been hit way harder than I would have guessed he would. A ten year ban, his projects are getting pulled, loads of people are swearing not to work with him again, it is basically a giant mess. Every time he is brought up now the slap will be mentioned. Many in the Academy hate him and believe his Oscar should be returned.

I think there is a segment of the public and this includes some in the Academy for whom nothing but total destruction of the man is seen as enough.

Personally, I think his behavior was horrid but he did not hurt anybody and all he did was create a huge surge in Chris Rock's career. Tickets to Chris Rock shows increased in price by 641% in some cases. Rock is saying he won't talk about it until he gets "paid" which he will make money off when he does talk.

The issue with the internet now is these things don't go away. It just lives on and on and here is the cold hard truth...nobody needs Will Smith. So, if his name and presence are seen as a problem, well, they just move on to the next guy. That could and maybe will go on for the next ten years.

For one slap his career could be flushed down the toilet. Pretty harsh. I think Rock and Smith should do a public event but the truth is Smith can apologize over and over and over and it won't matter at all. Chris Rock forgiving him, in public, may take the heat off.

Right now, Rock is riding the wave and it is all good for him.

 

[Malcolm R]

Chris Rock did his good turn by not pressing charges and not having Smith forcibly removed from the building in handcuffs. I don't think Rock needs to make any additional overtures.

Smith made his bed. Let him lay in it.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Chris Rock did his good turn by not pressing charges and not having Smith forcibly removed from the building in handcuffs. I don't think Rock needs to make any additional overtures.

Smith made his bed. Let him lie in it.

He doesn’t need to, but if Smith were to request to meet him to apologize, it would be gracious of him to do it.

 

[benbess]

According Variety, Will Smith was paid $40 million for King Richard. Other movie roles over the last 20 years have reportedly been in the range of $20 to 35 million.

From Daniel Craig to Dwayne Johnson, Inside the Biggest Movie Stars’ Salaries

Film stars continue to be paid handsomely and are often able to earn more by leaving the big screen and diving headfirst into streaming.

variety.com

Netflix film chief Scott Stuber said to The Hollywood Reporter a few years ago: “When you go into a movie that’s expensive and you’re paying him a certain salary, what makes you feel good is you know that he is going to work just as hard,” “We can do a lot in the marketing, but there’s no amount of TV spots you could buy that can replicate the authenticity and the passion of the artist saying to the world, ‘I believe in it.’ And that’s what he does really well.”

But this might play out differently going forward.

How Will Smith Cracked the Code on Making Real Money in Hollywood

Once in decline, the 'Gemini Man' star has quietly become one of the most diversified (and wealthy) talents thanks to everything from working with Netflix to maintain his quote, investing in eco-friendly water and growing his digital footprint: "He's unbelievably methodical."

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Robert Crawford]

If only Smith had leaned over to his wife and said “I’m sorry honey, he shouldn’t have said that. I’ll talk to him later.” Now what he really needs to do is to publicly meet Chris Rock and apologize with no reservations. No “you shouldn’t have said that.” It’s got to be “I want way over the line and I’m deeply sorry. Please accept my apology.”

Anyway, I’m not going to throw away any of his movies, I’m not going to let this determine whether I attend a movie of his. I’m going to continue to enjoy his art.

I don't think he has to publicly apologize to Chris Rock. However, I hope he privately does it.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Chris Rock did his good turn by not pressing charges and not having Smith forcibly removed from the building in handcuffs. I don't think Rock needs to make any additional overtures.

Smith made his bed. Let him lay in it.

Rock is a hot item right now. Not sure how hot he was before Smith slapped him. I basically expect Rock to ride this wave for whatever it might be worth. Really, why shouldn't he?

I don't think Rock has to do anything to help Will Smith at this point but it would be big of him if he did.

The way this could easily go for Smith is people may just decide not to work with him. There are plenty of other black actors and the way the business is now, is if you have any kind of issues...well...they don't need to attach you to their project. So, I can't say how it will go for Will Smith but for the next ten years if he is in any pictures that are Oscar worthy, well, his ban will be brought up and people likely won't vote for his pictures because of his ban. So, he is harmful to those kind of projects.

I don't know what will happen but I know that there is a segment of society that lives to punish people and I think keeping Will Smith under their boot will be the goal going forward.

He will be 63 when his ban is over. Not sure what will be left of his career at that point. He is probably set financially at this stage but his "value" as an actor going forward has been destroyed.