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Will Smith reveals the advice Denzel Washington gave him after slapping Chris Rock
Will Smith revealed that Denzel Washington was one of the stars who comforted him following his altercation with Chris Rock at last night's Academy Awards.
The usual pomp and circumstance of the 94th annual Oscars ceremony was sadly marred by drama last night, after the 53-year-old I Am Legend star physically confronted the 57-year-old comedian.
During the show, Rock had made a joke directed at Smith's wife, Jada Pinket Smith, saying: "Jada, I love ya! G.I. Jane 2 - can't wait to see it."
The joke was seemingly a comment on Pinket Smith's shaved head resembling Demi Moore's buzzcut from the 1997 movie G.I. Jane. However, the 50-year-old star was left visibly unimpressed by the joke, leading to her husband confronting Rock on the stage.
After approaching Rock, Smith delivered a slap across the comedian's face, before sitting back down - much to the shock of the crowd, who were left confused at whether or not the whole thing was a pre-planned skit. However, it quickly became apparent that the situation was genuine, as Smith started shouting at Rock: "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!"
Now, footage has emerged showing the moment Smith was comforted by fellow Best Actor nominee, Denzel Washington.
Shared to Twitter by The Hollywood Reporter columnist Scott Feinberg, the footage shows Smith being approached by Washington and Tyler Perry while the awards show was in a commercial break.
Feinberg captioned the clip: "During the commercial break, Will Smith is pulled aside and comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, who motion for him to brush it off. Will appears to wipe tears from his eyes as he sits back down with Jada, with Denzel comforting Jada and Will’s rep by his side"
After speaking to his peers, Smith can be seen pulling out a tissue and wiping his eyes.
Later in the evening, Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard, in which, he played the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
During his acceptance speech, Smith took a moment to thank Washington for his words earlier in the night, and shared what advice had been bestowed upon him.
Smith told the audience: "Denzel said to me a few minutes ago, he said, 'At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.'"
Incredibly profound words from Washington in such an ugly moment.
Elsewhere in his speech, Smith also took the time to apologize to the Academy, saying: "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people."
He also concluded the speech by saying: "Thank you. I’m hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you."