I was inside the theater and that's how Will Smith hit Chris Rock
When Chris Rock came to the stage of the Oscar Awards the applause was immediate. Everyone laughed at what he said, from Denzel Washington through Will Smith and reaching his servant: Clary Castro. Everything was going well. Everything was going great until he said, “Jada, I can’t wait for GI Jane 2.”
This comment was a clear reference to “GI Jane”, the movie by 1997 starring actress Demi Moore, for which she shaved her head to play Jordan O’Neil, the first woman to receive Navy Seal training. That’s where things got out of control. I got into the mood of: “Help, I’m fainting.” And I didn’t record it! I did not do it. But not for lack of a journalistic eye, but because the indication as a guest was that nothing could be recorded once she was inside the theater during the ceremony and therefore nothing could be leaked or published. I complied with the instructions.
The comment, on the other hand, generated laughter in many. It seemed that everyone had gotten the joke, including Will. Jada was smiling until she finished listening to the comedian’s comment. There the camera captured the moment in which his face changed. We all saw it. Seconds later Will was on stage. Nobody knew what was going on. Is everything assembled? Are they acting? Is it part of the show?: Will gave him a slap that was seen inside the Dolby Theater. He was seen and heard. Did I hear applause? I think so. Some of us thought it was all part of a comedy moment as part of the drive, but when Will returned to his seat to also yell at Chris Rock to stop mentioning his wife’s name, we all understood that this our eyes refuse to believe. it had been real.
Many of us stopped looking at the stage and took our cell phones to tell what was happening and, oh surprise!, no one else had seen it. I sent two messages: one to my boss telling what was happening and another to my husband. Both contained the same text: “Omg, omg, omg. That was not acted. He really hit her. He has yelled at her to stop mentioning her wife, to get her out of her speech. And I didn’t record it”.
My second surprise came when they both told me that they hadn’t seen that. I did not understand anything. How was it not seen? That’s what I was thinking when I got a text from my sister. She is in El Salvador, together with my family they were watching the ceremony in case the camera focused on me at some point, this never happened. The point is that she did know what she was talking about and finally my gossip made sense.
In her text my sister asked me: “What the hell was that about Will Smith?”. I immediately replied: “Did he see it?” My sister: “Everything and I can’t believe it. Was it staged?” I told him that it had not been staged, that everything had been real. There I understood that part of what happened had probably been censored in the United States, but not in the signal for the rest of the countries of the world.
By that time Will Smith’s name and his slap to Chris Rock were already viral all over the world. The Oscar ceremony of the year will be remembered more for this sad act of violence, than for “Coda”, independent film that became the winner of the Oscar in the category of Best Picture.
To this day I can say that after the slap I don’t remember anything Chris Rock said. I only saw him standing there. I saw him talk but I don’t remember recording anything he said. I seemed to see him flat, not at all smiling. I felt it serious, but more in shock.
The public after this got up from their seats several times. And it is that everyone wanted to see what else Will Smith would do or how Chris Rock would respond later. They say that Bradley Cooper came to Will’s table, that like him other celebrities approached him. I didn’t see that. And it is that I was waiting for the return of my companion, who had gone to the bathroom and that is why such a gossip was lost.
The indignation was growing in many moments. Some commented close to me that they did not understand what had happened to the leading actor of “I am Legend”. And it is that today more than ever the title of this film honors him, because after this performance at the Academy Awards, the actor will go down in history for having starred in the most violent act in a delivery live awards.
Opinion apart I think this event will change the way it will be carried out the Oscar in years to come. I don’t know if they will put more security near the access to the stage, or if they will make it higher to be able to place security agents nearby, as if it were a concert. I do not know. But everything seems to indicate that it is necessary to protect comedians from any other outburst of rage. Or the other possibility is that The Academy begins to censor certain monologues. Will the comedians accept it? I don’t know that either. This has only left me more doubtful.
The Oscar for Best Film goes to: Coda
Let’s talk about Coda. The film deserves credit and, above all, the media attention required by the fact of having become the winner of such a category, that of best film. Unfortunately this fact has not transpired to more by Will Smith’s slap. But Coda, an acronym for “Child of Deaf Adults”, is a film that generated an impact on Sunday night. Celebrities and the general public applauded the film and its actors using sign language. The film managed to get actors like Andrew Garfield and Ariana DeBose to communicate with best supporting actor Troy Kotsur in this language.
Coda has generated unity, beyond the division caused by Will Smith’s act of violence. The actress Marlee Matlin, co-star of this story, said something very true, according to BBC Mundo, and that is that one of Coda’s achievements is that now: “Many people will think of deaf actors, ideas, scripts and collaborations”. A gap has undoubtedly opened.
Furthermore, Eugenio Derbez, an actor of Mexican origin, is part of this production. And his role is endearing. This was also Eugenio’s night, who is proving that he is more than just an actor and comedy producer.
I felt like Cinderella from the Oscar
You don’t know but I am Salvadoran. And this Sunday was my first time at the Oscars, and I was nothing more and nothing less than a guest. A dream come true. Who would not be happy to have the perfect excuse to buy a dream dress, makeup, accessories and shoes for a unique night. Whose? I was happy.
The search for the dress was a case. I was about to wear a wedding dress to the award ceremony. And the dress that I was supposed to wear never arrived. I found my outfit three days before the Oscars. Whether true or false that night many people told me that they liked my dress. And I felt happy.
From Santa Tecla to the Oscar Award ceremony. For years I watched the ceremony from home, with pupusas on the plate, a coffee to swallow my emotion, amid family bets on who would be the winners. Seeing myself in the present, sitting there, seeing how everything actually happened… I still can’t find words.
The Red carpet
Being on the red carpet was fantastic and what follows. I saw everyone. That is to say, I had in front of me, less than a meter away: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Billi Eillish, Jamie Dornan, Jacke Gyllenhaal along with her sister Maggie. Reduced my world? No, it’s that I speak as a journalist of shows. The cream of the crop was there.
I had Ashton Kutcher and Milla Kunis very close to me. I hugged Sebastián Yatra, I even took a selfie with him. I have on my cell phone videos of Kevin Costner, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Queen Latifah, Bill Murray, Samuel L. Jackson and the new Catwoman: Zoë Kravitz. I saw the impressive Uma Thurman walk. And I witnessed the arrival of several, among them Jennifer Garner, who besides being very tall is extremely thin and I don’t mean it in a bad way, she looks sensational.
I could almost touch the hair of Kristen Stewart, the star of “ Spencer”, or as I call her “Diana”, but I didn’t recognize her. I can not believe it! I had it almost in her face and I didn’t notice because I couldn’t stop looking at her hair. For what reason? I still can’t explain it. Things that happen.
Serena Williams and her sister her Venus are also in my video collection. They are as beautiful as they are impressive, both of them.
The night was magical. The ceremony ended and I returned home. Now from the Oscars 2022 I still have pictures, videos. Memories. And unfortunately I recognize that in effect, these will be Will Smith’s Oscars and his slap in the face of Chris Rock, but either way, I was there.
More about the Oscar Awards: VIDEO: Eugenio Derbez accuses Mexican film actress of making fun of one of his projects and prevented him from reaching the Oscar Awards Beyoncé’s performance at the Oscars 2022 It was not “Live” at her request The toy of the most viral moment on the networks already exists: Will Smith and Chris Rock become collectible dolls