Will Smith

Nicole Jeffords (2022)

This is a drawing of Will Smith, rapper, actor, benefactor and, recently, recipient of a lot of bad press due to a wee bit of violence at this year’s Oscars. I have to admit, embarrassingly, that I have seen only a few of Smith’s movies. He’s tall, lanky, with a sweetness in his face that draws one in. But there’s also a capacity for anger that we saw full bore as he strode up to the stage and slapped Chris Rock across the face for making an offhand remark about Will’s wife, Jada’s hair (or lack of it). I was struck by how athletic and handsome he looked in his well-cut tuxedo, and the panther-like grace of his body as he marched up the aisle. No one knew what was going to happen. There was determination in Will’s stride and then, wham, the slap.

What had been going through the actor’s mind to make him react that way? Chris Rock’s remark didn’t seem particularly offensive, especially in a milieu where a little roasting is expected. It’s perhaps the only time I’ve ever seen someone win and lose in one fell swoop — Will being awarded an Oscar for best actor at the same moment as the realization was sinking in that his bad behavior might well be the end of his career. What a bloody mess. Anyway, I hope I expressed some of that in my drawing of his face.