A major controversy can hit one’s career, and nobody will know how long or how greatly it will affect their career. In a survey conducted by The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar voters are divided on the idea of voting for Will Smith for his Apple movie Emancipation.
Since it will have a limited release on December 2 before its wider release next year, it will be in the award season to possibly receive a nomination. Due to the slap from the last Academy Awards, some Oscar voters are against voting for Will Smith for Emancipation. One member of the actor branch of Oscar voters thought “more time should go by” before he receives a nomination. A member of the director branch said that he should “take part in an Academy-mandated anger-management program” before moving on. Of the few named voters, Lawrence David Foldes of the producer branch said “no f—ing way” and called his “violent outburst” “shameful.”
Some Oscar voters would consider Will Smith for Emancipation
Not everyone is against voting for Will Smith for Emancipation, despite the decade-long ban on him. If one thing led to another, one member of the actor branch said that they would vote for him “if he is great in something.” One person in the editor branch echoed the same sentiment “if he does great work,” then they would “consider” the actor. A member of the director branch seemed torn but open to the idea as “we have to allow people to grow and learn and atone.”
The idea of voting for Will Smith for Emancipation is one thing, but Oscar voters seemed mixed on Apple releasing the film. A member of the executive branch asked, “Why would [Apple] shelve an important movie about slavery?” On the opposite side, an actor branch member was “tired of the slave theme” while still willing to vote for the actor. Many were surprised by the release of the film due to the actor’s involvement. Others were not, as the company would want to profit off releasing a film it spent millions on making.
Emancipation stars Will Smith, Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Grant Harvey (Animal Kingdom), David Denman (Mare of Easttown), Imani Pullum (The Orville), and Charmaine Bingwa (The Good Fight). It was directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer 2) and penned by Bill Collage (Assassin’s Creed).