Will Smith is reportedly consulting Johnny Depp for guidance on how to restore his damaged reputation following the career-ending slap attack he committed on comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, a new report claimed.
Awestruck Will, who is 55 years old, has seen Johnny recover from charges that he physically mistreated his then-wife Amber Heard. Willh is curious about how the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star, who is 61 years old, was able to save his reputation, according to unnamed sources who have come forward.
Earlier this week, the protagonist of "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" and Johnny, who has denied ever having harmed Amber, were seen together on a yacht that was located off the coast of Italy.
“Will has been encouraged by the success of the latest Bad Boys movie, but he knows he has a long road to travel to regain the stature he enjoyed before the slap heard round the world. He sees how Johnny has managed to regain his reputation and standing and wants counsel on how to do it, too,” the unidentified insider told The National Enquirer.
According to prior reports, the King Richard Academy Award winner is so afraid that he will never again direct an American blockbuster that he came to India to discuss his possibilities with Bollywood producers about working in other countries. In the meantime, the in-demand actor Johnny is now working on more than a dozen projects, and he most recently appeared in the French romantic comedy Jeanne du Barry.
“Will really feels like his reputation is still shredded by his momentary lapse of sanity. But Johnny is as popular as ever. Will’s begging Johnny to reveal the secret to his success and help him find a way out of this mess!” the anonymous informant added.
Meanwhile, with the release of his return film, "Bad Boys 4," Will is expecting that he will be granted a respite by the heads of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and that his 10-year ban for slapping Chris Rock in 2022 will be reduced earlier than expected.
"Will's defenders are always reminding people that, with respect to 'The Slap,' Will apologized in no uncertain terms, but more importantly, Will is selling tickets and putting butts in seats at a time when the whole business is struggling," a tipster told In Touch Weekly.
"That counts for a lot – just ask Will's old pal Tom Cruise. Nobody was bringing up Scientology when Tom was filling cinemas week after week two years ago with Top Gun: Maverick. Will is a sinner, but sinners can be forgiven and he's driving a lot of business right now, against all odds," the mole added.
"Well, there are still people in the Academy who think Will should have been arrested for what he did. The big change this summer is that the fans have spoken, and they want Will to keep being a movie star. That's huge and Will is using that as his rocket fuel to get back into the good graces of the Academy, which has more Black members than ever before," the tattler went on.
After Chris, the presenter at the 94th Academy Awards, made a joke about Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head, the 55-year-old actor of "I Am Legend" stormed on stage during the ceremony on March 27, 2022, and slapped him.
It appeared as though Jada, who is 52 years old and suffers from the illness known as alopecia, was leaning down and speaking to her husband before he attacked him. Will snapped at the comedian, "Keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth," after he had already returned to his seat.
Despite the fact that the actor went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in “King Richard,” the incident destroyed what turned out to be the most important night of his career. Will did not bring up the contentious slap that occurred earlier in the evening when he was giving his sad victory speech.
"Another obstacle is that Chris Rock is rightfully still very upset about the incident, and he's a beloved Academy insider. The moment everybody is waiting for is for Chris and Will to publicly and genuinely bury the hatchet – that's going to give the Academy the confidence to revisit their decision to ban Will from the Oscars for 10 years,” the spy said.
On April 1, 2022, Will tendered his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, stating that he would accept any sanctions that were brought upon him. He also extended an apology to Chris and any other individuals who were impacted by his actions.
For slapping Chris at the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences stated on April 8, 2022 that Will would be barred from attending any of its events, whether they were held virtually or in person, for a period of ten years.
