In recent years, one of the reasons why people talk about Will Smith is because of the actions that he took during the night of the 94th Academy Awards Ceremony in 2022. The event saw the star get up from his seat, walk up to the stage to Chris Rock, the host of the night, and slap him for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards
The entire fiasco became a huge point of controversy that dragged the star’s reputation through the mud and ended up as a permanent stain on his illustrious career. But although he apologized for his rash actions in the end, this wasn’t the first time he had raised his hands against another star, who was none other than Anthony Mackie.

Anthony Mackie Reveals How He Was Punched In The Face By Will Smith

Anthony Mackie
Apart from the slapping incident that almost destroyed his reputation and career in the industry, Will Smith is a very stand-up guy who had no one complain about his behavior. Always known to be friendly and kind to everyone, many believed that he would never pull something like this with anyone. But what people may not know is that before this debacle with Chris Rock, he was the reason MCU star Anthony Mackie got smacked in the face with a mean hook to the jaw.

In a past episode of The Jess Cagle Show (via SiriusXM), the Captain America: Civil War star talked about the time he was shooting for his then-upcoming show Falcon and The Winter Soldier. He said that during the same time, Smith was also shooting his film Gemini Man in Budapest. Since it was also Smith’s 50th birthday, Mackie was invited to present him with his birthday cake on stage. When he met Smith, he was recognized by him, and in the process of greeting him, the Ali star accidentally smacked him in the face. He said:

“So, I go to like high five. I don’t know what I was trying to do, but like I was trying to hug him and he thought I was coming in for like a high five. So, he like tried to grab my arm and he punched me in the jaw so hard. Like he hit me with a right cross so hard. Then he grabbed me and he’s like, ‘you’re good?’ I was like, ‘I think so. I think we’re in a fight, are we in a fight?’ He’s like, ‘no, no, I’m sorry.’ He’s an angry human being. I know he meant to do it, there is no way you mess up a hug with a punch in the jaw.”
Since it was a mistake on Smith’s part, Mackie wasn’t too upset by the ordeal, even joking about his aggression on the show.

What’s Next For Will Smith?

Will Smith
After his Oscar-winning performance in King Richard he was awarded on the same night of his slapgate controversy, the star has managed to recover from that incident. The star made his recent appearance in 2022’s Emancipation, where he played the role of a slave trying to flee his oppressors.

As for what’s next, there have been reports about the star reprising his role in the sequel of his superhit sci-fi film I Am Legend. The film is rumored to be bringing back many familiar characters from the first film along with some new additions to continue the story.