Even though Will Smith has been hit with a 10-year ban from attending The Oscars, following his slap of Chris Rock at the ceremony held two weeks ago, Harry Lennix doesn’t think that this punishment is severe enough. He has even called for Will Smith to return the Best Actor prize he won for his performance in ‘King Richard’.
Lennix is a member of the Motion Picture Academy and Television Academy and is best known for his roles in ‘The Five Heartbeats’, ‘Dollhouse’, ‘Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice’ and ‘Man of Steel’.
In an opinion piece for Variety, Lennix explained why he is still angry at Will Smith‘s slap and why he thinks the punishment should have been greater.
What did Harry Lennix say about Will Smith’s slap?
“It is little more than an extended time out for a playground bully, a toothless penalty that lays bare the shallowness of Hollywood morals,” Lennix wrote.
“At this point, the only person who can redeem the integrity of the Oscars is Smith himself. He needs to come to grips with the gravity of the offense he committed.
“Smith needs to express-mail his golden trophy back to the Academy and publicly state something to the effect of ‘Out of respect for the 94 years of honor conferred upon this award, I do not in good conscience feel worthy of being its custodian’.”
Can Will Smith keep his Best Actor Oscar?
Despite Lennix‘s plea, it seems that Will Smith will be able to keep his prize. The Academy didn’t want to set a precedent of taking awards away from actors and directors for extracurricular behaviour and instead believed the decade-long ban from attending the ceremony would suffice.
For some, such as Harry Lennix, that just isn’t enough of a punishment based on the 53-year-old’s actions.
-Marca
