The talk about Will Smith’s infamous slap to Chris Rock at The Oscars is still happening and this time it’s coming from actor Harry Lennix.
Lennix, who is an active member of the Academy Board wrote an op-ed expressing his feelings towards the entire incident and believes that Smith should return his Oscar.
“At this point, the only person who can redeem the integrity of the Oscars is Smith himself,” the actor wrote.
Lennix added, “He needs to come to grips with the gravity of the offense he committed on the Academy Awards stage. Smith needs to express mail his golden trophy back to the Academy and publicly state something to the effect of: “Out of respect for the 94 years of honor conferred upon this award, I do not in good conscience feel worthy of being its custodian.”
He went on to speak on Smith’s speech that he delivered after winning the award for his role in King Richard.
“This attempt to explain his action added to the travesty of this ethical catastrophe. In couching his acceptance speech as somehow submitting to the will of God, Smith abdicated personal accountability. Smith’s brutality stripped the entire evening of its prestige,” he said.
Lennix added, “That was proven when stunned Oscar attendees gave a standing ovation to someone who’d just committed an assault in front of their eyes. With one deft blow, Will Smith created an existential crisis for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”
Do you agree with Harry Lennix and his stance on this matter?