While a handful of Will Smith’s film projects have either been put on hold or delayed after the actor’s infamous outburst at the Oscars in March, it appears as if his ties with Sony Pictures haven’t hindered the studio from moving ahead with developing Bad Boys 4. In a recent interview with Deadline, Sony Chairman Tom Rothman cleared up conflicting reports that claimed the action flick co-starring Martin Lawrence had been shelved for the foreseeable future due to Will slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
During his chat with the publication, however, Tom had nothing but positive things to say about Will, who he has shared a working relationship with for years, explaining that he has only ever known the Philadelphia-born to be a “good person” while addressing concerns regarding the future of the Bad Boys franchise. When quizzed on whether the movie had been delayed by Will’s bad publicity in recent months, he assured, “No. That was inaccurate. That movie’s been in development and still is. There weren’t any brakes to pump because the car wasn’t moving.”
The film executive, who joined Sony Pictures in late 2013, continued, “That was a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I don’t think it’s really my place to comment, except to say that I’ve known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person. That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment, in front of the world. I believe his apology and regret is genuine, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption.”
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Meanwhile, Will made headlines last week after his interview with David Letterman aired for the latter’s Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. The pair’s chat was filmed prior to the Oscars, where the father-of-three opened up about his experience with ayahuasca during a retreat.
The Hancock star said that the herb’s psychological effect on his mind wasn’t all that pleasant, particularly after having done the plant-based psychedelic 14 times in just over two years, as he remembered hallucinating as “both realities are 100 percent present.” He told David, “Once you drink it you’re going to see yourself in a way you’ve never seen yourself,” admitting that he cried when he had to go back for the second day of the retreat.
Talking about his most challenging trip after ingesting ayahuasca, Will added, “One of the experiences was the individual most hellish psychological experience of my life. I drank, and it usually takes about 45 minutes to kick in. And I’m sitting there and you always feel like, ‘Maybe it won’t kick in this time.’
“So I’m drinking and sitting there and then all of a sudden it’s like I start seeing all of my money flying away, and my house is flying away and my career is going away. I’m like ‘argh’ and I’m trying to like grab for my money and my career. My whole life is getting destroyed.”