Did Will Smith Copy An Old Movie?

Did Will Smith copy an old movie with the slap?

Introduction

While being a celebrity and a blockbuster movie star in Hollywood most definitely has its perks, unfortunately, it does also mean that your life is constantly under scrutiny as well.

While it goes without saying that Hollywood celebrities should expect to be in the limelight a lot, the problem is that the more famous you become, the more eyes you have on you, and inevitably, the more rumors and downright lies begin to circulate.

Will Smith, for example, is one of the most famous actors in the entire world and has been at the top of his game for more than three decades now.

Recently, however, you will probably know that he has been making headlines for all of the wrong reasons.

Yes, we’re talking about that infamous slap at the Oscars in 2022.

The incident at the Oscars, which we’ll examine in more detail shortly, was shocking, to say the least.

Some, however, have claimed that the incident was an elaborate skit based on an old movie from 1994, supposedly.

So, did Will Smith copy an old movie? Let’s find out.

Who is Will Smith?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last three decades, chances are you’ll know exactly who Will Smith is.

Just in case you aren’t sure, however, here’s a refresher.

Will Smith was born Willard Carroll Smith II on September 25, 1968.

He is a multi-award-winning actor, comedian, rapper, music producer, singer, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur who is known for a whole host of different roles.

He’s won four Grammy awards, a BAFTA, and an Oscar.

His movies have banked close to $10 billion as of this writing, making him one of the most financially successful movie stars in the biz.

Smith began his career as a musician, when he formed a hip-hop duo with himself as the ‘Fresh Prince’ along with DJ Jazzy Jeff. They released five albums and had numerous top 20 hits, including ‘Summertime.’

Smith began acting in the early 1990s when he starred as a fictional version of himself in the sitcom ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.’ The show was critically acclaimed and ran for 6 years.

Smith’s stock began to grow, and he began making music as a solo artist, while also acting as well. He starred in hits such as Bad Boys, Men in Black, and Independence Day.

Not wanting to be typecast, Smith began taking on more serious roles and received Academy Award nominations for his roles in Ali, and The Pursuit of Happiness.

By the mid-2000s, he was one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities and appeared in movies such as i-Robot, Shark Tale, Hitch, I am Legend, and Hancock.

What Happened at the Oscars?

Despite Will’s career cooling slightly in the 2010s, he still proved to be a bankable star, and he proved he could still act.

In 2021, he starred as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, in the biographical sports drama King Richard.

The movie and his performance were critically acclaimed. Will won a Bafta, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actor’s Guild Award, and an Academy Award for Best Actor.

The 2022 Academy Awards Ceremony was supposed to be one of the highlights of his career, yet an incident that took place that night is still haunting him now, nearly a year later.

The host of the ceremony was comedian and actor Chris Rock.

Now, as you probably know, hosts of these ceremonies often poke fun at the celebs in the audience and subject them to some good-natured ribbing.

The target of one of Chris Rock’s jokes was Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and let’s just say, she didn’t take the joke well.

Jada was sporting a shaved head, and in reference to this, Rock stated that he couldn’t wait to see her in G.I Jane 2.

G.I Jane, of course, made headlines for Demi Moore shaving her head for the role.

At first, Will seemed to find the joke funny, yet after a disapproving scowl from his wife, he climbed up onto the stage and slapped Rock hard across the face.

The audience, as well as Rock, was stunned.

After taking his seat, Smith continued to yell obscenities at Rock on the stage.

Subsequently, despite winning the Oscar that night, Smith was banned from the ceremony for 10 years and resigned from the Academy.

Public Backlash

It was the slap heard around the world, and following the incident, it was all people were talking about.

Will apologized, but the damage was done. “It still hurts,” Chris Rock said in an interview in May 2023. He added: “I’ve got Summertime ringing in my ears.”

To make matters worse, Will’s relationship with Jada was also scrutinized as people accused her of controlling him.

It didn’t help that she was open about having a younger boyfriend and being in an “open” relationship with Will.

Initially, Will laughed at the joke, yet when Jada scowled at him, he then assaulted Rock.

There were claims for Will to be banned from acting, to face criminal charges, and much more besides.

Those who weren’t trying to cancel him making memes about the incident, or sharing memes about the incident.

A year on, and people still haven’t forgotten.

It was that incident, however, that resulted in some people claiming that Smith and Rock staged the incident and copied a moment from an old movie.

READ MORE: Marcus Hutchins Net Worth

Did Will Smith copy an old movie?

After the slap at the Oscars, videos on TikTok started to appear that were supposed to be from a 1994 movie.

The scene in this movie played out almost identically to what happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock.

Needless to say, theories began emerging that claimed that Hollywood had fabricated the incident to distract from other alleged incidents.

The truth of the matter, however, is that the alleged 1994 movie, which people conveniently couldn’t provide a title for, or a link to, never existed.

The clip circulating was made AFTER the incident.

It turns out that entrepreneur and YouTuber, Dhar Mann, was responsible for the short film.

Mann makes short movies and made one inspired by what happened with Will and Chris.

So, no, Will Smith did not copy an old movie.

The moral of the story is to not believe everything you see and read on the internet.

And below is the uncensored moment Will Smith smacks Chris Rock on stage at the Oscar.

READ THIS NEXT: What is Jojo Zarur’s net worth?