Oscars Producer Will Packer Says He Is ‘Pulling’ for Will Smith After Public Apology to Chris Rock

usmagazine.com:

Moving in the right direction? Following the Oscars drama, producer Will Packer has been pleasantly surprised by how Will Smith has handled the aftermath of him slapping Chris Rock.“I love the fact that he’s being so transparent about his process,” Packer, 48, told Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, August 9, about Smith’s video where he apologized for the incident. “He is being very public and honest and open about his remorse.”The Florida native noted that the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum’s actions show his experience in the industry, adding, “I think that he’s got three decades in this business of being somebody that is the exact opposite of who he was in those few seconds, and so I’m pulling for him.”Packer’s insight comes shortly after Smith, 53, returned to social media to address the Oscars drama. (In March, the actor made headlines when he slapped Rock, 57, onstage at the Academy Awards in response to a joke he made about Jada Pinkett Smith.)“It’s been a minute … Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work … You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer,” the text read ahead of the clip, which was posted via Instagram on July 29.In the video, the Oscar winner opened up about dealing with the fallout of the situation. “I’ve spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment,” he detailed. “I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now.

But I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”Smith revealed that he attempted