Steve Coogan on Will Smith’s Oscars slap: “It’s appalling arrogance”

nme.com:

Will Smith’s altercation with Chris Rock at the Oscars, describing the actor’s actions as “appalling arrogance”.At the Oscars ceremony last month (March 27), Smith struck the comedian on-stage following a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Following numerous apologies, Smith resigned from The Academy and described his actions as “shocking, painful, and inexcusable”.Speaking on BBC Radio’s Loose Ends about the altercation, Coogan said: “First of all, I think Hollywood showed itself at its absolute worst.

For all the kind of moral posturing that Hollywood has… I think all Hollywood’s moral posturing are always commercial decisions and if they’re moral, they’re dressed up as moral but they are always bottomline decisions.”The actor said he agreed with director Rob Reiner and Jim Carrey on the matter, adding: “I think whether Chris Rock wants to press charges should be academic.”Addressing Smith’s actions, Coogan said: “I think it’s appalling arrogance.

The epitome of all that’s twisted and horrible about Hollywood.“Having said that, frankly you either believe in freedom of expression or you don’t.