Will Smith Does Promo Work for First Post-Oscars Slap Film 'Emancipation'

03/10/2022 16:10

Will Smith screened the film Emancipation with an audience for the first time at a private event on Saturday (October 1) in Washington D.C. The 53-year-old actor participated in a conversation with director Antoine Fuqua and Mary Elliott, curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Click inside to read more… “Throughout my career, I’ve turned down many films that were set in slavery,” Will said at the screening. “I never wanted to show us like that. And then this picture came along. And this is not a film about slavery. This is a film about freedom. This is a film about resilience. This is a film about faith.” “This is a film about the heart of a man — what could be called the first viral image,” Will continued. “Cameras had just been created, and the image of whipped Peter went around the world. It was a rallying cry against slavery, and this was a story that exploded and blossomed in my heart that I wanted to be able to deliver to you in a way that only Antoine Fuqua could deliver.” Emancipation follows Peter (Smith), who runs away from his plantation in search of his family, and is based on a true story. Emancipation is set to arrive on Apple TV Plus in 2023. Chris Rock recently made some comments about the infamous incident between him and Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars.