Will Smith deserves to have his Best Actor statuette engraved, according to Academy president

Will Smith deserves to have his Best Actor statuette engraved, according to the Academy Awards president Janet Yang.

The 54-year-old actor was honoured with the prestigious award at the 2022 ceremony for his work on King Richard less than an hour after he marched up to the stage and smacked host Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada's shaven-headed look.

Despite being banned from all Academy events for the next 10 years, Janet has remarked that Will is still entitled to have his gong engraved even though she was left "numb" by the incident at the time.

Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, she said: "He should have his name engraved on it. I don't know if he should personally come. But yeah, we can arrange. But truly, we were numb.

"Like everyone else, in the beginning when Will walks onto stage, we're like, 'Oh, this is a funny bit. He is going to pretend he slaps him, and then Chris is going to act stunned. And then it was like, 'Ok, well that's over.' And then he goes back to his seat and then he starts shouting - that's when, of course, everyone said, 'Oh my God, this is real.'"

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Following the row, Will resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has since apologised to Chris, the academy and his fans, but actors traditionally get their names carved onto their awards the day after the ceremony.

He said: "My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy."

The Bad Boys star was later banned from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years as a result of his smack, but said in a statement that he "accepted" and "respected" the decision.