Rapper, actor Will Smith will not be present at the Oscars this Sunday due
to the U.S. led assault on Iraq. Nominated for best actor in last years
Oscars for his portrayal of Muhammad Ali, Smith was scheduled to be a
presenter at this years Academy Awards.
Stan Rosenfield, Smith’s publicist, eliminated all speculation that Smith’s
withdrawal from the Oscars was in protest to the military campaign against
Iraq.
“Not in any way, shape or form,” Rosenfield said. “There’s no agenda,
there’s no speeches. He just did not feel personally comfortable in going
because of the world situation.”
While Smith’s motives seem to be more benign, he is not the only Academy
invitee who will not be attending the ceremony due to the U.S. led military
campaign. Unlike Smith, Aki Kaurismaki, director of “The Man Without a
Past,” nominated for best foreign-language film, stated that his absence at
the Oscars is in direct protest to the campaign against Iraq.