"The slap". (Patreon)
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For people asking me about the Oscars- I strongly suspect the "incident" was just a publicity stunt to boost ratings. None of us would even be talking about the Oscars if this incident hadn't happened. So if it was somehow genuine, and not a stunt, then it's the best bit of "good luck" the Oscars has had in years. Their ratings have been TANKING for ages -last year was a historic low- but after this "incident" their ratings have shot through the roof. Job done.
It's funny, because boxers get accused of "staging" beefs at press conferences all the time -flipping tables, shoving or slapping each other etc- as a publicity stunt to boost ticket and PPV sales. People have no problem believing that at all. Yet when two professional actors -who are far better qualified to pull off this type of thing, and make it look more convincing than a pair of boxers- are accused of doing the same, it's somehow "outlandish" and "absurd" to even suggest such a thing lol. Dear oh dear. You've gotta laugh.
"But Will Smith cried". He's an ACTOR bruv, how many times has he cried in films?? Most actors can cry on cue. "But it was a joke about his wife, and they have had well publicised personal problems" Will Smith is a COMEDIAN. Comedians -including Chris Rock BTW- make jokes about serious situations in their personal lives all the time. Richard Pryor made jokes about very serious incidents in his personal life, for example. "But the slap actually connected". Yeah with the fingertips, just like wrestlers do in the WWE. They've got to "sell" it, in order for it to have the desired effect.
If it was a publicity stunt -as I strongly suspect- then it's imperative that the public don't find out. Because if they did, a similar stunt in future wouldn't garner as much attention, because most people would just assume it to be fake, roll thier eyes, and change the channel. So the illusion that it's real must be maintained.