Michael Bay affirms he would work with Will Smith amid backlash over Oscars altercation

Director Michael Bay, who is currently gearing up for the release of his directorial venture Ambulance featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, asserted that he would work with Will Smith again amidst the global backlash the actor garnered post his Oscars 2022 altercation. His affirmation in the wake of the King Richard actor slapping comedian Chris Rock minutes before accepting his first Oscar on the very stage. The entire episode had become the talk of the town in the subsequent days as the Academy launched a formal review and promptly banned Smith from attending any events associated with the Academy for over 10 years. 

Many celebrities came in support of Chris Rock and condemned the 53-year-old actor over his altercation. Meanwhile, the Oscars debacle also jeopardized Smith's projects like Fast and Loose and Bad Boys 4 which were put on hold. While a few filmmakers will seemingly contemplate working with Smith, Bay confirmed that he is not one of them.

Michael Bay says he'd work with Will Smith again

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 57-year-old director reacted to Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock mid-Oscars and revealed if he would work with the actor again. For the unversed, Bay has directed the first two instalments of Bad Boys starring Will Smith. Bay stated that he would 'absolutely and 100 %' collaborate with Will Smith again. Adding to it, he quipped, ''He's a very even-keeled guy. Very even-keeled.'' 

Further in the interview, the director reacted to the slap and stated, ''First of all, it's wrong to do, no matter what. Let's just get that out there,'' and pointed out that there were more pressing matters that needed attention namely the escalating war between Ukraine and Russia that started in February this year. 

He said, ''There are babies getting blown up by the hundreds right now and people are so concerned about this. I don't know. To me, it's just like, enough of it. All right, so a dramatic thing happened,'' Concluding his statement, Michael Bay said, ''I just think we've got to get our priorities straight.''

As mentioned earlier, in the latest development, Will Smith was banned by the Academy for 10 years. According to AP, they also took accountability for their handling of the matter as they said in a statement, ''During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.”

Image: AP