married

I get that not everyone likes or enjoys Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, but can we agree on something? Like, Will Smith is a major movie star for a reason. He’s incredibly charismatic. I was reminded of that while watching his interview on Good Morning America on Thursday. Will stopped by GMA to discuss his wife’s boycott of the Oscars and the subsequent backlash. And while I defended Jada previously, I have to say that if she wants people on her side, she just needs to send Will out there to speak on her behalf. He has all the charisma in that family. Here’s the video: Some assorted quotes: He wasn’t part of Jada’s video but he supports it: “I was out of the country at the time, and I came home [and said], ‘What happened?’ She’s deeply passionate, and when she’s moved, she has to go. I heard her words, and I was knocked over. I was happy to be married to that woman. I appreciated the push. There’s a position that we hold in this community, and if we’re not a part of the solution, we’re a part of the problem. It was her call to action for herself, for me and for our family to be a part of the solution.” The two times Will has been Oscar nominated, he lost to black men: “That was huge. So when I see this list and series of nominations that come out — everybody is fantastic, and that’s the complexity of this issue. Everyone is beautiful and deserving and is fantastic, but it feels like it’s going the wrong direction. It reflects a series of challenges we’re having in our country at the moment. There’s a regressive slide toward separatism.” The regressive slide: “The nominations reflect the Academy, the Academy reflects the industry… and the industry reflects America. There’s a regressive slide toward separatism, toward racial and religious disharmony.” He says Jada isn’t just mad about Will’s snub: “For Jada, had I been nominated and no other people of color were, she would have made the video anyway. This is so deeply not about me. This is about children that are going to sit down and they’re going to watch this show and they’re not going to see themselves represented.” He won’t attend the Oscars without Jada: “It would be awkward for me to show up with Charlize [Theron]. We’ve discussed it and we’re a part of this community, but at this current time, we’re uncomfortable to stand there and say that this is OK.” Yeah, I think he’s telling the truth, and I think this is what he really believes. I also think that Jada’s video wasn’t his call, but after days of seeing his wife attacked, Will decided to get out in front and talk about it. While Will hasn’t been a major player in Hollywood for a few years, he’s still well-liked within the industry, in America and in the world (he’s a majorly bankable African-American star internationally). For Will to sit here and call out the Academy – and as he makes clear, the industry – it’s a big deal. Photos courtesy of WENN.