Twenty years ago, Will Smith was up for an Oscar, partly because of his ability to know how to throw a punch.
The movie was Ali, and Smith was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of the boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
Smith work hard for the part. Not only did he manage to deliver Ali’s celebrated way of speaking with wit and swagger, but the ring scenes looked convincing, as did the training regimen.
But we all knew it was acting.
On Sunday, Smith was up for an another award, for his portrayal of another sporting legend, Richard Williams, the hard-working and relentless father of tennis stars Venus and Serena. He worked hard to perfect that role in King Richard, too.
And that’s what everybody thought initially, when Smith walked up to comedian and presenter Chris Rock and took a swing at his face. Hollywood! Ha! What jokers!
But then something happened.
The sound was cut and Smith, 53, returned to his seat, looking very, very angry indeed. If he was acting, he was doing a good job.
“Oh, wow! Wow! Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me,” Rock said as the audience laughed, thinking it was just a joke.
“Wow, dude. It was a GI Jane joke,” he continued, referring to the 1997 film “GI Jane” in which actress Demi Moore had a shaved head.
All around the world people reached for their phones.
What was that? Was that real? What on earth just happened?
And then, from Australia and other places where the sound had not been cut, came confirmation that Smith had not been acting.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f**ing mouth,” he had said to Rock. He then repeated it.
There was silence at the the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Rock somehow managed to keep going.
“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” he said.
Smith seemed to calm down. And he then took his seat.
Jada Pinkett Smith told Billboard in December she had been battling the autoimmune disorder alopecia, which can cause hair loss and balding.
On social media, some reacted by praising Smith for standing up for his wife.
But those appeared to be in the minority. On Twitter, people were wondering how come he had been allowed to go back and sit in his chair after having punched someone on live television.
And then, in an ending that was literally crafted in Hollywood, Smith was back on the stage, this time accepting the award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams.
“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said in his acceptance speech. “In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world.”
He went on to apologise to the academy and to his fellow nominees. He said he hoped they would invite him back.
He not did not mention Rock.
“This is a beautiful moment,” Smith said.
“And I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me, it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people.”
Right then, with his face streaked with tears, it seemed pretty certain that Smith was not acting.
