Hollywood
Ke Huy Quan wins Oscar in an inspiring Hollywood comeback
Ke Huy Quan had mostly disappeared from Hollywood for over two decades, dispirited by the lack of on-camera work for Asian Americans. He returned in a big way, winning the supporting actor Oscar to cap an inspiring comeback story.
Quan accepted the trophy Sunday night for his role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” becoming just the second Asian winner ever in the supporting actor category, joining Haing S. Ngor for “The Killing Fields” in 1984.
As his name was announced, Quan rose and hugged co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis, who won supporting actress honors after him. He clasped his hands to his mouth.
“My mom is 84 years old and she’s at home watching,” Quan said. “Mom, I just won an Oscar!”
An emotional Quan kissed his statue repeatedly and sniffled into the microphone on stage after receiving a standing ovation. Presenter Ariana DeBose was in tears.
“My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp and somehow I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage,” he said. “They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream.”
Quan rode a huge wave of momentum into the Oscars, having won every major award except the BAFTA. Quan endeared himself during acceptance speeches as much as he did in his winning performance. He used his position to encourage other struggling actors that one day they also will find success.
Also Read: 2023 Oscars: What to know about the best actor nominees
Along the awards show trail, the enormously likeable Quan compiled a photo album for the ages as he posed for selfies with everyone from Tom Cruise to directors James Cameron and Steven Spielberg. It seemed anyone famous was happy to smile or make funny faces alongside Quan.
The Vietnam-born actor whose family immigrated to California in the late 1970s first gained attention as a pre-teen in the hugely popular 1980s movies "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and “The Goonies.” He went on to roles in the TV show “Head of the Class” and the movie “Encino Man” (starring fellow Oscar nominee Brendan Fraser ) in the early 1990s before work dried up.
Finding few on-camera opportunities, Quan turned elsewhere. He earned a film degree from the University of Southern California and worked behind the scenes as a stunt coordinator and assistant director.
“I owe everything to the love of my life, my wife Echo,” he said, “who month after month, year after year for 20 years told me that one day, one day my time will come. Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.”
Inspired by the success of the 2018 movie “Crazy Rich Asians,” Quan returned to acting and landed an audition for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which earned a leading 11 Oscar nominations. His former “Goonies” co-star, Jeff Cohen, serves as his lawyer who drew up the contract for his Oscar-winning role.
“Thank you to my ‘Goonies’ brother for life, Jeff Cohen,” Quan said.
Now, people stop him to talk about a movie he made as a grown-up, “Everything Everywhere All at Once."
As Waymond Wang, Quan appears in three different incarnations in the critically acclaimed film. He won a Golden Globe and became the first Asian man to win an individual category at the SAG Awards.
The 51-year-old Quan is busy juggling new roles, including joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe series “Loki” on Disney+.
Quan won the Oscar over fellow nominees Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan of “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Brian Tyree Henry of “Causeway” and Judd Hirsch of “The Fabelmans."
2023 Oscars: What to know about the best actor nominees
It’s always fun when an Oscars category is filled with first-time nominees at varying stages of their careers. Best actor is another three-way race, between Austin Butler, Colin Farrell and Brendan Fraser, with each having scored notable wins from guilds and critics groups. The Associated Press’ film writers predict Fraser to have the edge.
Here’s a bit more about the nominees and their roles before the Oscars on March 12, which airs live on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. And if you’ve missed a performance, there’s still time to watch this year’s nominees.
BRENDAN FRASER
Brendan Fraser doesn’t mind that people have called his turn in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” in which he plays a reclusive English teacher named Charlie who is grappling with his past in the midst of a dire prognosis, a “comeback.” But it’s not the word he’d choose.
“If anything, this is a reintroduction more than a comeback,” Fraser told The AP. “It’s an opportunity to reintroduce myself to an industry, who I do not believe forgot me as is being perpetrated. I’ve just never been that far away.”
The film, an adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s play, shows a different side of Fraser as an actor than the affable action/comedy roles that made him beloved and famous in the 1990s.“I gave it everything I had every day,” he said. “We lived under existential threat of COVID. An actor’s job is to approach everything like it’s the first time. I did but also as if it might be the last time.”
Age: 54
Notable Wins: Critics Choice, Screen Actors Guild.
COLIN FARRELL
In Martin McDonagh’s tragicomic tale of the end of a friendship “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Colin Farrell’s Pádraic is the one being broken up with by Brendan Gleeson’s Colm on their small Irish island in 1923.
“He has an innocence where he can’t comprehend why his friend of so many years has cut him out,” Farrell said of his character last year at the Venice Film Festival, where he’d go on to win the best actor prize. “It shakes him to his core ... He lives in a beautiful life and that beauty is taken away.”
The film was a reunion for the trio who developed a deep bond on “In Bruges” 14 years ago.
“From the start, there was a deep sense of kinship and an understanding of each other,” Farrell told The AP. “In a strange way, I understand myself more through Martin and his mind and his heart and his work. And I understand myself more through my interactions with Brendan.”
Age: 46
Notable Wins: Venice Film Festival, New York Film Critics Circle, National Board of Review, Golden Globes (Musical/Comedy)
AUSTIN BUTLER
Austin Butler spent so much time and mental and emotional energy in preparing to play and playing Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s colorful drama that he finds it difficult to talk about without “sounding incredibly pretentious and self-important,” he told The AP. “There are certain aspects that even I don’t fully understand.”
The past few weeks have brought their own emotional highs and lows too, with his Golden Globe win, his Oscar nomination and the tragic death of Lisa Marie Presley in the span of a few days.
“The peaks are so high and the valleys have been so low,” Butler said.
“I just wish Lisa Marie were here with us to celebrate. At times, in the midst of intense grief and just a shattering loss, it feels sort of bizarre to celebrate. But I also know how much this film meant to Lisa Marie, how much her father’s legacy meant to her. So I feel so proud and humble to be a part of that story.”
Age: 31
Notable Wins: Golden Globes (Drama), BAFTA.
BILL NIGHY
Bill Nighy plays a British civil servant who receives a terminal diagnosis in 1953 London in Oliver Hermanus’s remake of the Kurosawa classic “Ikiru.”
“I was very moved by it when we were making it, the fact that we were making it, that we were back and that it was the first thing I’d done since the pandemic,” Nighy told The AP. “The pandemic forced us to look at our priorities in our lives and all that and this film discusses how to make the most of every day. So I suppose in that regard it was timely.”
The veteran actor said he thought they were making something special, but he was unprepared for the rapturous reception everywhere. And thematic resonance aside, it hasn’t got him thinking about his own legacy.
“I don’t ever think in terms of legacy,” he said. “I find it difficult to get enthusiastic about a world which is not going to include me.”
Age: 73
Notable Wins: Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
PAUL MESCAL
Paul Mescal did not expect to come out of “Aftersun” friends with an 11-year-old. But that’s what happened with his co-star Frankie Corio on the set of Charlotte Wells’ personal and evocative film about a young father and his daughter on vacation in Turkey in the 1990s.
“Both of us got out two weeks before filming started. There was kind of a loose plan that we might rehearse. And we did some of that, but ultimately, we just spent the two weeks where I was playing like pretending to be her dad,” Mescal told The AP. “It’s one of the greatest professional experiences that I’ve had. It really surprised me. I fell in love with her and I adore her and she’s just a phenomenal actor.”
The Irish actor said he likes working on smaller films with first-time directors. If anything, he hopes that his raised profile following his nomination might help him be able to get another project like that made.
“I take great pride in the fact that there’s an appetite for those films still,” he said.
Age: 27
2023 Oscars: What to know about best actress nominees
The best actress category at the 95th Oscars is full of great awards season drama, from the surprise nomination of Andrea Riseborough to the potential history to be made if Michelle Yeoh wins, which AP’s film writers predict will happen.
All will be celebrated during Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, which airs live on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. There’s still time to catch up on their performances before the show.Here’s a bit more about the contenders.
ANA DE ARMAS
“Blonde” may have been reviled by many critics, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any who didn’t admire Ana de Armas’s portrayal of Marilyn Monroe nonetheless. De Armas prepped for a year and was thrown into the fire on her first day on set: In the actual apartment Norma Jeane lived in with her mother — a nightmare sequence in which she rescues a baby from the dresser drawer that she was kept in as an infant, as the place burns around her. Her second day was her visit to her mother in the mental hospital, where she got to speak as Marilyn for the first time on camera.
“I wasn’t in character all the time. But ... I felt that heaviness and that weight in my shoulders. And I felt that sadness,” de Armas said. “She was all I thought about. She was all I dreamed about. She was all I talked about.”
Trivia: De Armas is the first Cuban woman to be nominated for best actress.
Age: 34
CATE BLANCHETT
“Tár” wouldn’t exist without Cate Blanchett
“I am still processing the experience, not only because it spoke to a lot of things that I had been thinking about, but I feel so expanded by having been in Todd’s orbit,” Blanchett said. “It was a very, very fluid, dangerous, alive process making the film.”
Lifetime Oscar nominations: 8
Wins: 2. Best Supporting Actress for “The Aviator” in 2005 and Best Actress for “Blue Jasmine” in 2014
Age: 53
Notable Wins: Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup, BAFTA, Golden Globes (Drama).
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH
Riseborough was unexpectedly nominated
Riseborough rose into the Oscar ranks thanks largely to the grassroots efforts of “To Leslie” director Michael Morris and his wife, actor Mary McCormack. They urged stars to see the film and either host a screening or praise Riseborough’s performance on social media. And a whole lot of them did: Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Adams and Courteney Cox all hosted screenings for the film.
After a review of the campaign, the Academy said that Andrea Riseborough would not be stripped of her nomination.
Age: 41
MICHELLE WILLIAMS
The pivotal event of “The Fabelmans” comes when Mitzi Fabelman, a fictionalized version of Steven Spielberg’s own mother played by Michelle Williams, reluctantly leaves her husband for his best friend.
“I thought she already suffered a near-death experience. When she gave up her dream of being a concert pianist, she experienced what it’s like for part of you to die,” says Williams. “So when she’s faced with another near-death experience — Do I stay in this marriage or do I allow myself to go where my heart is leading? — she knows that she can’t die again. There will be nothing left of her.
“What is this thing in her that allows her to make this decision? Is it her artistry? Is it bravery? Is it how big her emotions are? What allowed this woman to stake a claim on her life like this?” says Williams. “I don’t know but I do think it’s what’s allowed her children to do the same thing, to stake a claim on their own lives. That, I think, is one of the greatest gifts that you give to your kids, showing them how they can be a full person.”
Lifetime Oscar Nominations: 5
Age: 42
MICHELLE YEOH
After decades first as a star in Hong Kong cinema and then more mainstream hits like “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” the Malayasian-born Yeoh has grown into a movie queen. She’s had integral roles in what have been the first large U.S. studio movies in years with Asian-led casts—Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” and “Crazy Rich Asians.” As much as those films mean to her, she was a polished supporting player in them — then came “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”
The Daniels originally named the multiverse hopping matriarch Michelle, as a “love letter” to Yeoh. But then she asked to change that and Evelyn was born.
“I’m like ‘No, no, no’ because I believe this person, this character that you’ve written so rich, deserves a voice of her own. She is the voice of those mothers, aunties, grandmothers that you pass by in Chinatown or in the supermarket that you don’t even give a second glance to. Then you just take her for granted,” Yeoh said. “She’s never had a voice.”
Trivia: If Yeoh were to win, she would become the first Asian woman awarded in that category.
Age: 60
Notable Wins: Golden Globes (Musical/Comedy), Screen Actors Guild, Film Independent Spirit Award.
Oscar nominations Tuesday could give blockbusters a boost
A year after a streaming service won Hollywood's top honor for the first time, big-screen spectacles are poised to dominate nominations to the 95th Academy Awards on Tuesday (January 24, 2023).
Nominations will be announced at 8:30 am EST from the academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. They will air live on ABC's “Good Morning America” and be live-streamed on Oscars.org, Oscars.com, and on several of the academy's social media platforms. Riz Ahmed ("Sound of Metal") and Allison Williams ("M3gan") will read the nominees.
If things go as expected, “Top Gun: Maverick," “Avatar: The Way of Water," “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Elvis” could all rack up somewhere between six and nine nominations. If last year's Oscars were dominated by streaming — Apple TV+'s “CODA” won best picture and Netflix landed 27 nominations — movies that drew moviegoers to multiplexes make up many of this year's top contenders.
Read more: 'Top Gun,' 'Black Panther' advance in Oscars shortlist
That includes “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the A24 sci-fi indie hit. Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan's multiverse-skipping tale could walk away with the most nominations Tuesday, including nods for Michelle Yeoh and comeback kid Ke Huy Quan.
Also at the front of the pack is “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh's Ireland-set dark comedy, which is set to score as many as four acting nods, including nominations for Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.
Steven Spielberg's “The Fabelmans” struggled to catch on with audiences, but the director's autobiographical coming-of-age tale is set to land Spielberg his 20th Oscar nomination and eighth nod for best-director. John Williams, his longtime composer, should extend his record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person. Another nod for best score will give Williams his 53rd nomination, a number that trails only Walt Disney's 59.
Read more: Oscar winners cut off their hair to support Iran protests
Many questions remain, though, like whether the love for “Top Gun: Maverick” will go far enough to win Tom Cruise a best actor nomination. The year's other highest-grossing blockbuster, “Avatar: The Way of Water," should score well in the technical categories, though less certain is whether director James Cameron will make it into the best director field. After that category saw the first back-to-back wins for female filmmakers — Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland") in 2021, Jane Campion ("The Power of the Dog") last year — no women are expected to be nominated for best director.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences will surely celebrate a best picture field populated with blockbusters. Ratings for the telecast have typically been higher in years with much-watched films as favorites. Last year's awards had been looking like a comeback edition for the Oscars before “the slap” came to define the ceremony. In the aftermath, the academy banned Will Smith from attending for the next 10 years. Though he could have still been nominated, Smith's performance as a runaway slave in “Emancipation” didn't catch on.
Last year's broadcast drew 15.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen, up 56% from the record-low audience of 10.5 million for the pandemic-marred 2021 telecast. This year, ABC is bringing back Jimmy Kimmel to host the March 12 ceremony, one that will surely be seen as a return to the site of the slap.
Read More: Oscar Best Picture Winners: Looking Back at the Last 15 Years
But larger concerns are swirling around the movie business. Last year saw flashes of triumphant resurrection for theaters, like the success of “Top Gun: Maverick,” after two years of pandemic. But partially due to a less steady stream of major releases, ticket sales for the year recovered only about 70% of pre-pandemic business. Regal Cinemas, the nation's second-largest chain, announced the closure of 39 cinemas this month.
At the same time, storm clouds swept into the streaming world after years of once-seemingly boundless growth. Stocks plunged as Wall Street looked to streaming services to earn profits, not just add subscribers. A retrenchment has followed, as the industry again enters an uncertain chapter.
In stark contrast to last year's Academy Awards, this year may see no streaming titles vying for the Oscars' most sought-after award — though the last spots in the 10-movie best-picture field remain up for grabs. Netflix's best shots instead are coming in other categories, notably with animated film favorite “Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio” and the German submission, “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Read More: Will Smith confronts Chris Rock, then wins best actor Oscar
5 Best Movies of Hollywood Superstar Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is one of the most heartthrob actors that the 21st-century movie generation thinks of when it comes to Hollywood. Starting his acting career in 1987, Brady Pitt has reached the pinnacle of success in the American entertainment industry. Besides the marvelous performance on the silver screen, the accomplished actor captivates the fans with his chiseled abs, handsome face, and attractive look. This brilliantly flexible performer has showcased his acting charisma in a variety of movies. But which are the best among his works? Let’s take a look at the 5 most popular movies of Brad Pitt.
Top 5 Movies of the Veteran Hollywood Star Brad Pitt
Moneyball (2011)
Sport Genre / IMDb: 7.6
Directed by Bennett Miller, this American sports movie is written by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian. They adapted the entire screenplay from a story by Stan Chervin. Chervin's story was originally based on Michael Lewis' 2003 nonfiction book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game." The story of the film revolves around the Oakland Athletics baseball team and their manager's efforts to build a successful baseball team.
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Brad Pitt's performance here was more like a mild spice in the curry. His ability to portray a guardian character was unprecedently impressive. The strength to take on such a role can only come from direct real-life experience.
‘Black Adam’ alights at Star Cineplex
‘Black Adam,’ one of the most anticipated Hollywood movies in 2022 starring popular actor Dwayne Johnson, hit US theatres on Friday (October 21, 2022) as well as Star Cineplex in Bangladesh.
The superhero movie is a spin-off of Shazam! (2019), the 11th movie in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), and the first movie in the franchise's Phase One, based on the same-named DC Comics character.
A ‘Shazam!’ spin-off produced by Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema, ‘Brack Adam’ first debuted in DC Comics in the 1940s as a villain; however, in 2000, it was re-introduced as an anti-hero.
Read Star Cineplex's Awesome Autumn gives moviegoers chance to win trip to Maldives.
The character of Black Adam, portrayed by wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, possessed divine abilities from the Egyptian gods. After being freed from the earth for approximately five thousand years, he returned to the modern world to take part in an exciting conflict over justice and retaliation, crossing the path with the Justice Society of America (JAS).
Dwayne Johnson, the main draw as the title character, is appearing in a DC Comics movie for the first time with this film. In addition to this, Pierce Brosnan, the former James Bond actor, is also playing a special character in the film.
Moviegoers and DCEU fans in Bangladesh have been eagerly waiting to see the powerful anti-hero in the theatres.
Marking the release, Star Cineplex arranged a gala press premiere on Thursday (October 20, 2022) night at its SKS Tower branch in the capital which was joined by journalists from different media outlets alongside popular celebrities and social media influencers.
Read New Releases: Top 10 South Indian Movies to Watch in October 2022
“Previously, it was unthinkable for moviegoers in our country to watch the most eagerly awaited Hollywood productions on the day of their international premiere. Star Cineplex brought that opportunity to its fans and now we are premiering the biggest Hollywood films on the same day of their global releases, and we will continue this trend for our moviegoers,” Star Cineplex parent company ShowMotion Limited Chairman Mahboob Rahman Ruhel said at the event.
He also informed that the Cineplex is bringing two of the next most-anticipated Hollywood films in the upcoming months - the celebrated Marvel Comics superhero ‘Black Panther’ sequel ‘Wakanda Forever’ in November, and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in December, the second installation of the groundbreaking American epic science-fiction film ‘Avatar’ (2009), directed by James Cameron.
Star Cineplex is now showing the film ‘Black Adam’ across all of its five branches in the capital - Bashundhara City in Panthapath, Shimanto Shambhar in Dhanmondi, Sony Square in Mirpur, SKS Tower, Mohakhali and Bangabandhu Military Museum in Bijoy Sarani.
Read Star Cineplex's Awesome Autumn gives moviegoers chance to win trip to Maldives.
This is what Nuhash’s Hulu project is about
Nuhash Humayun has revealed the name of his Hulu project. Incidentally, this is the first Bangladeshi content to be featured on Hulu, an American OTT platform.
What is Nuhash’s Hulu project called?
The young filmmaker revealed on his verified Facebook profile that the Hulu project is called “Foreigners Only”.
“I am so so proud of the incredible work my team has done,” Nuhash wrote in the Facebook post.
When will it air on Hulu?
“Foreigners Only” is going to be aired on Hulu this Halloween, in October.
Nuhash produced the short as an episode of Hulu and 20th Digital’s “BITE SIZE HALLOWEEN”.
Read: Nuhash Humayun: I want to experiment, make mistakes
What is “Foreigners Only” about?
The short apparently takes a jab at some apartments in Dhaka’s Gulshan, Banani areas that are only rented out to foreigners.
Nuhash wrote: “…why is this a big deal? Why do we value the bideshi, the foreign...sometimes more than ourselves?”
“FOREIGNERS ONLY asks these questions and more. And we might not like the answers,” he added.
The Hulu short will not be released in Bangladesh right now, Nuhash wrote.
Read Anonymous Content, CAA take Nuhash Humayun onboard
Earlier in an interview to UNB, Nuhash spoke about the Hulu content.
He said, "Hulu has produced some exclusive content on the occasion of Halloween this year, and one of those projects is made by me. It will air on Halloween in October. It's a single content, and nothing to disclose more than that at this moment. After the official announcement of Hulu, everyone will know the details.”
Speaking on being associated with Hulu's project, Nuhash said, “After evaluating some of my works, they gave me this project. When I went to Hulu's office in Los Angeles, I was a bit nervous. However, the meeting was quite positive. They appreciated all my plans, and that raised my confidence.”
The content was produced in both Bangla and English, with Nuhash serving as both the director and screenwriter.
Read ‘Moshari’ wins Atlanta Film Festival Jury Award
Nuhash got signed by the Hollywood agencies Anonymous Content and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) earlier this year. Through these two agencies, he got connected with Hulu.
How a motion graphic designer from Cumilla is making it in Hollywood
In Hollywood, the world’s pre-eminent industry for commercial cinema, everything must meet a high bar in terms of quality and technical proficiency.
The same exacting standards and production values informing a film must also usually reflect in its trailer – a crucial element that acts as the centrepiece of all activities aimed at promoting a movie once it is made. The same would apply to more contemporary innovations or interpretations of the trailer, e.g. teasers, that are well-suited to the age of social media.
This is the story of a young man from Laksham in Cumilla, Bangladesh - Jisan Kamrul Hasan, and how his relentless pursuit of a dream has taken him all the way to Culver City, California - the most populous as well as economically advanced of the 50 constituent states that comprise the United States of America - and the home of Hollywood.
Culver City itself is a hub of film and television production, best known as the home of the renowned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM Studios. But how did Jisan end up there?
Read: 'Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence' begins at Drik Gallery
More importantly, what was this young Bangladeshi motion graphic designer’s journey like, on the road to getting to work on the teasers and trailers for some of the most popularmovies and series in recent times, from the critically acclaimed “Last Night in Soho” to the graphic-intensive hit "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” from Marvel Studios.
Following a recent interview with a leading national daily, Jisan became known to the nation, and naturally many in the entertainment industry as well as netizens are waiting for an opportunity to give vent to their curiosity to learn more about Jisan and his journey.
“My journey actually started at a very early age back in 2002, when I was stunned by the majestic visuals in “The Lord of the Rings.” I wondered about the motion graphics, and I decided that I would learn this,” Jisan said in a telephone interview with UNB from his Hollywood home, engaging at length on different topics.
It wasn't until 2007 though, that Jisan would even get his first personal computer.
“At this stage though, things started moving very fast in my lane in life. Soon, sometime in 2008, I moved to Dhaka and began practising Photoshop on my own, thanks to YouTube.
Will Smith posts an apology video for slapping Chris Rock
Will Smith has again apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscar telecast in a new video, saying that his behavior was “unacceptable” and that he had reached out to the comedian to discuss the incident but was told Rock wasn’t ready.
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith said in the video posted online Friday. “I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.”
Smith, seated in a white polo shirt and white ball cap, spoke directly to a camera, answering pre-selected questions about his behavior at the March 27 Academy Awards, when he slapped presenter Rock after the comedian made a comment about the hairstyle of Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife.
Smith also apologized to Rock’s family and especially his mother, Rosalie, who was horrified to see her son hurt and told US Weekly that, “When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me.” Smith also apologized to Tony Rock, Chris’ younger brother.
“I didn’t realize how many people got hurt in that moment,” Smith said.
Smith also apologized to his family “for the heat that I brought on all of us” and his fellow Oscar nominees to have “stolen and tarnished your moment.” He said his wife did nothing to encourage his slap. “Jada had nothing to do with it,” he said. “I made a choice on my own.”
Read: Will Smith resigns from film academy over Chris Rock slap
Following the altercation, the motion picture academy banned Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years. Smith apologized to Rock in a statement after the Oscars, saying he was “out of line and I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry really isn’t sufficient,” Smith said in the video.
Bob Rafelson, New Hollywood era director, dies at 89
Bob Rafelson, an influential figure in the New Hollywood era of the 1970s who was nominated for two Oscars for “Five Easy Pieces,” has died. He was 89.
Rafelson died at his home in Aspen Saturday night surrounded by his family, said his wife, Gabrielle Taurek Rafelson.
Rafelson was responsible for co-creating the fictional pop music group and television series “The Monkees” alongside the late Bert Schneider, which won him an Emmy for outstanding comedy series in 1967.
But he was perhaps best known for his work during the New Hollywood era, which saw a classical studio system giving way to a batch of rebellious young voices and fresh filmmaking styles, and helped usher in talents like Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg.
Rafelson directed and co-wrote “Five Easy Pieces,” about an upper-class pianist who yearns for a more blue-collar life, and “The King of Marvin Gardens,” about a depressed late-night-radio talk show host. Both films starred Jack Nicholson and explored themes of the American dream gone haywire. “Five Easy Pieces” got Rafelson two Oscar nominations in 1971, for best picture and screenplay.
Read: Marvel teases new Avengers movies, ‘Black Panther’ sequel
He also produced seminal New Hollywood classics including Peter Bogdanovich’s “The Last Picture Show” and Dennis Hopper’s “Easy Rider.”
Coppola once called him “one of the most important cinematic artists of his era” and his fans include Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson.
Rafelson was born in New York City and was a distant relative of “The Jazz Singer” screenwriter Samson Raphaelson, who he said took an interest in his work. At Dartmouth he also became friends with legendary screenwriter Buck Henry.
He developed an interest in Japanese cinema and the films of Yasujiro Ozu, especially “Tokyo Story,” while serving in the U.S. Army in Japan.
After college, Rafelson married his high school sweetheart, who would work as a production designer on his films and others. He got his start in the entertainment business in television, writing for shows like “The Witness” and “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
But “The Monkees” was his first big success. The idea for The Monkees, he said, predated The Beatles and the musical comedy “A Hard Day’s Night,” but it hit the moment well when it premiered on NBC in 1966. It ran for two years and allowed Rafelson to take a stab at directing himself.
The Monkees also appeared in his feature directorial debut, “Head,” which would be the first of many collaborations with Nicholson.
“I may have thought I started his career,” Nicholson told Esquire in 2019, “but I think he started my career.”
Rafelson was proudest of the 1990 film he directed, “Mountains of the Moon,” a biographical movie that told the story of two explorers, Sir Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke, as they searched for the source of the Nile, his wife said.
Rafelson's own adventures to places like Morocco, India, southeast Asia, Mexico and Guatemala influenced his work, she said.
“He loved nothing more than disappearing into strange pockets of the world,” Taurek Rafelson said.
Rafelson left Hollywood two decades ago to focus on raising two sons with Taurek Rafelson, Ethan and Harper, in Aspen. He and his first wife, Toby Rafelson, also had two children, Peter, and Julie, who died in 1973 when she was 10 years old.