Actor Harry Lenix Opines That Will Smith Should Return His Award After Oscars' Incident
The “Slapgate” commentary continues as Academy board member Harry Lennix penned an op-ed on Variety recently and shared how he feels Will Smith needs to “express mail” his Oscar back to the Academy in order for the actor to receive “justifiable grace.”
“At this point, the only person who can redeem the integrity of the Oscars is Smith himself,” wrote the actor.
“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.”
The actor continues and shares his criticism of the now-Oscar winner speech where he references the influence of a higher power during his acceptance and how “shocked” he was the Academy didn’t eject Smith after the incident.
“This attempt to explain his actions added to the travesty of this ethical catastrophe,” he wrote.
“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. 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 & Sciences.”
