Will Smith has been on the tip of Hollywood’s tongue as of late with his performance in King Richard. He’s been gathering Oscar buzz for months as he has inched closer toward collecting his golden man. He already picked up a Golden Globe for the sports drama, and this weekend he added his first SAG win – making his claim as a frontrunner for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. After the major win, Smith was so taken aback that he couldn’t hold back his emotions.
The King Richard star was clearly touched after winning the acting accolade. Entertainment Tonight captured Smith’s overwhelmed response to his win as the moment started to sink in for him. You can see the backstage interaction in the emotional Twitter post below, featuring Will Smith grabbing some tissues to wipe his eyes .
Fresh off his #SAGAward win, an emotional Will Smith breaks down in tears while reflecting on his #KingRichard family: "It's all of these Black women that I get to protect and shine a light on... I just feel such a responsibility." pic.twitter.com/hNFFrGQF8MFebruary 28, 2022
Smith seemed to be overwhelmed more by the company he was in rather than his acknowledgment from the Screen Actors Guild. He could’ve made it all about himself, but he chose to highlight the strong Black women surrounding him that night. Will Smith took the moment to share the spotlight with Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, and Demi Singleton.
The emotional connection between him and his cast seems to still be there more than a year after filming wrapped, and he has further shown his gratitude by sharing his HBO Max payout with his co-stars. The A-lister even gave a shout-out to Venus Williams and her sister, Isha Price, who were present at the event. Feeling that sense of responsibility to them was clearly overwhelming and joyous for the Bad Boys for Life star.
King Richard appears to be more than just a film to him. Playing the father of Venus and Serena Williams felt personal as he seems to be on a mission to protect and nurture his Black female co-stars. His scenes with Sidney and Singleton were some of the most heartwarming and inspirational moments in the movie. But it was his work with onscreen wife Ellis that brought the best out of Will Smith. The backstage moment was not the only time he highlighted his female co-stars, as he gave them great praise in his SAG Awards speech, which you can watch below.
Will Smith’s SAG win might pave his way to an Oscar, but he’s facing some stiff competition in the Best Actor category. While Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Javier Bardem are vying for the award, the real competition will be between him and Denzel Washington, who is nominated for his role in Joel Coen's The Tragedy Of Macbeth. It marks a rematch of sort as the two actors are facing off again for the first time since 2001 when they were nominated for Ali and Training Day, respectively.
Viewers will have to wait and see which 2022 Oscar nominees will take home the coveted accolade when the telecast airs on March 27 on ABC. If you want to see Smith’s performance before the Oscars air, you can catch King Richard by subscribing to Amazon Prime. Along with the sports drama, there are even more amazing movies on Amazon Prime right now.
