The career rise and stumble of Will Smith, who is back in the awards conversation after the notorious Oscars slap

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Travis ClarkNov 23, 2022, 23:56 IST
The career rise and stumble of Will Smith, who is back in the awards conversation after the notorious Oscars slap

Will Smith accepts the Oscar for Best Actor.Reuters

  • Will Smith is one of the biggest movie stars of all time.
  • But his career hit a speed bump after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.
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Will Smith's films have grossed nearly $10 billion combined at the worldwide box office.

Will Smith's films have grossed nearly $10 billion combined at the worldwide box office.
Smith in "Ali."Sony

He's ranked No. 15 in total US box office among actors in leading roles, according to the analysis site The Numbers.

But his career hit a speed bump this year when he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March.

But his career hit a speed bump this year when he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March.
Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California.Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The slap followed a joke Rock made about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and came before Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in "King Richard."

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Smith, who's been a beloved actor in Hollywood for three decades, now finds himself looking to get back into Hollywood's good graces.

Smith, who's been a beloved actor in Hollywood for three decades, now finds himself looking to get back into Hollywood's good graces.
Will Smith plays a runaway slave in "Emancipation."AppleTV

First up in the comeback tour: Apple's Oscar-hopeful film, "Emancipation," which Smith both stars in and produced. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, follows the true story of an enslaved man escaping and joining the Union Army.

So how did Smith get to be one of the movie industry's most bankable (and now cautionary) stars? Well, he got his start in the music industry.

So how did Smith get to be one of the movie industry's most bankable (and now cautionary) stars? Well, he got his start in the music industry.
DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeff Townes), left, and The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) are seen at the American Music Awards in 1989.Lennox McLendon/AP

Smith came into the public eye as part of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in the 1980s and '90s.

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Smith also led a successful solo rap career.

Smith also led a successful solo rap career.
YouTube/WillSmithVEVO

He had hits like "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," which spent three weeks as number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, and has won four Grammy awards.

Smith capitalized on his music career with the hit sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

Smith capitalized on his music career with the hit sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
NBC

In the series, which aired on NBC, Smith played a fictionalized version of himself. The show ran from 1990 to 1996.

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His film career took off with his role in Michael Bay's 1995 action movie "Bad Boys."

His film career took off with his role in Michael Bay's 1995 action movie "Bad Boys."
Will Smith in "Bad Boys."Columbia Pictures

"Bad Boys" was a modest hit, grossing $141 million globally, but put Smith on people's radar as a leading man.

He cemented himself as a legitimate action star with 1996's "Independence Day" and 1997's "Men in Black."

He cemented himself as a legitimate action star with 1996's "Independence Day" and 1997's "Men in Black."
Will Smith in "Men in Black."Columbia Pictures

"Independence Day" grossed $817 million worldwide, while "Men in Black" earned $589 million globally.

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Smith almost turned down "Men In Black."

Smith almost turned down "Men In Black."
YouTube/Will Smith

In a 2019 video, he said he didn't want to be known as "the alien movie guy" after starring in "Independence Day." Steven Spielberg, who was producing, called him and convinced him to take the part.

Not all of Smith's early roles were hits, though.

Not all of Smith's early roles were hits, though.
Warner Bros.

1999's "Wild Wild West" was a disaster, grossing $222 million globally off of a hefty $170 million budget.

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Smith could have added to his '90s hits with "The Matrix."

Smith could have added to his '90s hits with "The Matrix."
YouTube/Will Smith

He revealed in that aforementioned 2019 video that he turned down the movie after a disastrous pitch from the directors, the Wachowskis. He decided to make "Wild Wild West" instead.

But Smith isn't just known as a box-office powerhouse.

But Smith isn't just known as a box-office powerhouse.
Michael Mann directed this acclaimed biopic.Sony Pictures Releasing

He earned his first Oscar nomination for 2001's "Ali," in which he played the boxer Muhammad Ali. His second nomination came with the 2006 film "The Pursuit of Happyness."

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Smith turned some of his first roles into franchises.

Smith turned some of his first roles into franchises.
Sony

In the early 2000s, he starred in back-to-back sequels: 2002's "Men in Black II" and 2003's "Bad Boys II."

By the time "Men in Black 3" came out in 2012, Smith was able to command one of the largest-ever paychecks for an actor.

By the time "Men in Black 3" came out in 2012, Smith was able to command one of the largest-ever paychecks for an actor.
Sony

He reportedly earned $100 million for the film. That number was based off the film's total gross of $624 million globally.

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But the rest of the 2010s tested Smith's box-office power.

But the rest of the 2010s tested Smith's box-office power.
Sony Pictures Releasing

Consumers started to gravitate more to brands like Marvel than to star-driven films.

Smith infamously turned down Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" in favor of 2013's big-budget sci-fi movie "After Earth," which bombed with a global box office of $243 million.

The 2016 DC movie "Suicide Squad," which thrust Smith into comic-book movies, was a decent hit.

The 2016 DC movie "Suicide Squad," which thrust Smith into comic-book movies, was a decent hit.
Warner Bros. Pictures

The movie made $747 million worldwide, but was torn apart by critics and basically rebooted with 2021's "The Suicide Squad," in which Smith didn't appear.

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2019's "Gemini Man," another big-budget action movie, also flopped.

2019's "Gemini Man," another big-budget action movie, also flopped.
Paramount

The film from director Ang Lee grossed $173 million worldwide and cost $138 million to make.

But another 2019 release ended the decade on a high note for Smith.

But another 2019 release ended the decade on a high note for Smith.
One of the first looks at Will Smith's Genie in the new "Aladdin" movie.Disney

Disney's "Aladdin" remake, in which Smith played the Genie, was his highest-grossing movie ever, with $1.05 billion worldwide. If the changing landscape meant Smith couldn't sell a movie on his name alone, he could at least lend his star power to a known property.

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2020 kicked off with "Bad Boys for Life," the third movie in the franchise.

2020 kicked off with "Bad Boys for Life," the third movie in the franchise.
"Bad Boys for Life"Sony

It was a critical and box-office hit, with $426.5 million globally. That made it both the biggest movie in the series and the biggest of that year, as it was released just before the pandemic shut down theaters around the world.

In 2021, Smith's passion project "King Richard" was released in theaters and on HBO Max.

In 2021, Smith's passion project "King Richard" was released in theaters and on HBO Max.
"King Richard."Warner Bros.

Smith played Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, and also served as a producer.

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Smith won his first Oscar for "King Richard" — on the same night he slapped Chris Rock.

Smith won his first Oscar for "King Richard" — on the same night he slapped Chris Rock.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Following the incident, Smith resigned from the Oscars voting body and was banned from attending the ceremony for 10 years. He can still be nominated, however.

Will he be nominated for Apple's "Emancipation"?

Will he be nominated for Apple's "Emancipation"?
Apple

It's too early to say, but Smith has been on a rehabilitation tour, including a first screening of the movie during a recent conference for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

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"Emancipation" hits limited theaters on December 2 and Apple TV+ on December 9.

"Emancipation" hits limited theaters on December 2 and Apple TV+ on December 9.
Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images

Apple is positioning it as its Oscar play this year after the company won best picture with last year's "CODA."

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