Tom Cruise Reportedly Refuses to Reconnect With Will Smith Due to Oscars Slap

Will Smith and Tom Cruise are reportedly at odds after the actor slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. “Will has approached Tom several times, trying to reconnect and see if they can hang out and brainstorm on some projects together,” a source told Radar. “A solid movie with Tom would guarantee Will’s comeback, or so he thinks. Will has even offered to fly to London if that’s more convenient, but Tom isn’t biting and doesn’t even write him back.” Despite feeling bad for Smith, he does not want to “put his neck on the line and be dragged down by association,” the insider said. In general, Cruise is apparently avoiding the entertainment industry as a whole. “Tom is still very wary of any Hollywood friendships. He likes his reclusive lifestyle in the United Kingdom,” the insider noted. “He doesn’t want to get sucked back into the Hollywood scene — especially by way of Will Smith. He’s still kryptonite.”

Smith hit Rock after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s Oscar appearance. The King Richard actor is now speaking on the incident. “I completely understand — if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready,” Smith said in response to a question about what he would say to those viewing him differently after the incident. This perspective may have been solidified by his latest film’s unimpressive performance at the box office. Smith’s new historical action film Emancipation, which marked his comeback to the big screen post the Oscars, only earned $3,000 per screen, per a report by Radar Online.

An insider close to the actor said to the outlet, “Will knows it’s a long road to redemption, and a lot of folks won’t forgive him. “This really rams it home,” the source added. According to Smith, fans should set aside grievances and support good content in a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly. “The only discomfort my heart has around that is that so many people have done spectacular work on this film. “My hope is that my team isn’t penalised at all for my actions. I think (director) Antoine (Fuqua) and (cinematographer) Robert (Richardson) and Ben (Foster) and Charmaine (Bingwa) — everyone has done such spectacular work.” He continued, “I definitely lose a couple winks of sleep every night thinking that I could have potentially penalised my team, but I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that everyone gets seen in the light that they deserve.”