LOS ANGELES — Will Smith delivered his first acceptance speech since the 2022 Oscars after he received the Beacon Award on Wednesday at the African American Film Critics Association Awards.
While accepting the honor alongside director Antoine Fuqua for their movie, "Emancipation," Smith thanked everyone in the "room for keeping our stories alive." The ceremony marked the actor's first awards show appearance since the film academy banned him from the Oscars for 10 years for slapping presenter Chris Rock onstage at the 94th Academy Awards, where Smith won the prize for lead actor.
"In this room are people who really suffer for the art to bring these stories to the screen and to deliver them in a way that has emotional impact ... and hopefully just the subtle possibility to change a heart or to change a mind," Smith said Wednesday.
