can’t escape the reminders of his infamous Oscars slap, even in . The fourth film in the franchise features a moment reminiscent of the actor’s onstage altercation with Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, but this time Smith is the one being slapped. In the scene, Smith’s character Mike is having a panic attack.
His detective partner Marcus (Martin Lawrence) helps him snap out of it by slapping him repeatedly in a moment played for comedic value. During the 2022 Oscars, after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. After hitting Rock, Smith repeatedly shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” He has since for his actions and , but he was .
However, he can still be nominated and win an Oscar, and was able to keep his award for best actor, which he won during the ceremony, shortly after the slap, for his role in . Recently, Jerry Seinfeld . “I was going to have somebody come up to the stage [during the Bowl & Spoon Awards scene] and have Chris punch ’em out as they got there,” said Seinfeld.
Rock, however, wasn’t “up to perform” the part, as he was “a little shook from that event,” as the movie was being filmed shortly after the 2022 Oscars. hits theaters on Friday. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter.
