The actor attended the African American Film Critics Association Awards to accept the Beacon Award alongside his 'Emancipation' director Antoine Fuqua.
00:00Will Smith just gave his first in-person acceptance speech at an awards show since his on-stage altercation with Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.
00:09The Oscar-winning actor attended the African American Film Critics Association Awards on Wednesday night to accept the Beacon Award alongside his Emancipation director, Antoine Fuqua.
00:19The director began the acceptance speech by explaining the significance of the award.
00:23He said, The Beacon Award is intended to highlight films that are tackling challenging subjects with insight, enlightening, as well as engaging the audience.
00:31It was our hope that Emancipation would be able to bring Peter's triumphant story and unwavering faith and his deep love for his family to life.
00:39Fuqua then handed the mic over to Smith.
00:43Emancipation was the individual most difficult film of my entire career.
00:51He went on to recount his experience filming the Apple TV Plus movie in which he plays Peter, an enslaved man who manifests his own freedom.
00:59It's really difficult to transport a modern mind to that time period.
01:07It's difficult to imagine that level of inhumanity.
01:15Smith recalled filming a tense scene and how that impacted his understanding of the injustice of the slavery era.
01:20He said,
01:21I was in a scene with one of the white actors and we had our lines, and the actor decided to ad-lib and spit in the middle of my chest.
01:38Smith shared he then realized his character Peter wouldn't have been able to call out for his director.
01:42The actor went on to say,
01:44There was a part of me that was grateful that I got to really understand.
01:48And then in the distance, I hear a voice and Antoine says,
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