'BRAND NEW' WILL

WILL Smith says he feels “brand new” after transforming himself since klapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. 

In a tell-all conversation on BBC's 1Xtra, the Fresh Prince star described the introspective journey as “brutal but beautiful” or “brutiful”, ultimately leading to a new era of creativity and self-awareness.

In the aftermath of the incident, which occurred after Rock made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss, Smith decided to take a step back and engage in deep self-reflection.

Reflecting on the shocking moment, which was televised worldwide, the actor acknowledged that it forced him to take a “big, strong, honest look at myself".

He told host Remi Burgz: “After the Oscars I, like, shut it down for a minute and really went into the internal work,” he explained during the interview. 

“All of a sudden, it was like there was a manhole cover over some unexplored areas, and like the manhole cover came off, and it was scary for a minute... 

“Then all of a sudden all of these new thoughts, new energies and new creativity came through. So, I feel like I’m brand new.”

He continued: “I feel like the greatest creative period of my life will be in the next, you know, five to 10 years.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences described Smith's behaviour as “unacceptable and harmful”, subsequently issuing a 10-year ban on his attendance at the prestigious awards ceremony.

Since then the Rock incident, Smith has made a fourth Bad Boys movie with co-star Martin Lawrence, Bad Boys: Ride or Die and is signed on to do a sequel to I am Legend with Michael B Jordan. 

He also dropped a new rap album, titled Based On A True Story, which also touches on the Oscars drama.