This is my last word on this issue (hopefully), but I feel compelled to explain my contrarian view on this subject and to open up the discussion to what I see as the larger issue ... the very anti-feminist, toxic masculinity that was at the heart not just of the incident but of the film for which Smith (perhaps deservedly)won the Oscar.
Let’s start at the beginning. When I watched King Richard some months ago I truly enjoyed it. It was well made and well acted, and quite entertaining. All good. But in the back of my mind I was a little disturbed about the portrayal of Richard Williams, a figure who had been seen as quite controversial back in the day. What Smith saw as his “fierce protection of his family” might, through a different lens, also be seen as verging on a kind of abusivess based on control. And this was Smith’s vision—he wasn’t just an actor here, this project was his personal baby. But no one was talking about it, so I figured it was just me.
Though Amy Schumer must have been thinking about it, because in the opening segment last night she made this comment:
“After years of Hollywood ignoring women, we finally got a movie about the incredible Williams sisters’ … dad.”
Snap. And I bet that was the beginning of Smith’s anger that night. He was about to be crowned King Will, and that (very accurate) barb was the first wound.
So then let’s look at the other bookend of the evening—the acceptance speech. This shocked me more than anything. To recap, Smith tried to justify his behavior by saying that God himself (herself?) had led him to see his mission as protector of women. Oh really ??!! If this isn’t some twisted version of the White Savior theme (transferred to a Black actor), I don’t know what else to call it. And he’s still using that defense in this apology tweet.
In other words, to me, it’s not the incident that matters. It’s the entitled male vision of his God-appointed role to protect poor defenseless little women ... from what, weak humorous comments? ... that is absolutely galling. This is a women’s issue about macho male attitudes of self-importance, and I would hope that some would see this. The alligator tears last night didn’t convince me ... he’s an actor after all, a very good actor in fact. But he sorely miscalculated and needs some straightening out.
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