Will Smith sparks backlash while filming in Los Angeles
Will Smith confronted on set as past controversies resurface amid union tension.
Will Smith is being attacked on social media and was confronted by a picketer while filming a non-union music video in Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Reporter states that the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees protested the 56-year-old performer at Quixote Studio in West Hollywood on Friday, following the failure of his most recent album.
Dejon Ellis, the business manager of IATSE Local 80, stated that the producers had rejected the union’s request on Thursday to recognise the union and offer health and pension benefits.
As IATSE was setting up the picket line in the morning, Will, who has courted controversy in recent years, arrived at the shoot.
However, in a post about the story, The THR X (formerly Twitter) criticised the A-lister, referencing his notorious slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars and writing, “Way worse than the slap.”
One person wrote, “Will Smith is a clown,” while another wrote, “Will Smith is a #SCAB.”
Meanwhile, another user asked whether the move would allow him to remain a member of his acting union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
What happened to Will Smith?
Will Smith was prohibited from attending the Oscars for ten years after he resigned from the Academy the following week. In a nearly six-month video, he apologised to Rock, but the latter was unresponsive and went on to criticise the Smiths in his 2023 Netflix comedy special Selective Outrage.
