Published January 13, 2015
Will Smith has decided to skip this weekend's Academy Awards in light of the U.S.-led assault on Iraq.
Smith, who was scheduled to be a presenter at Sunday's Oscars, did not intend his withdrawal as a protest over the military action that began Wednesday, his publicist, Stan Rosenfield, said Thursday.
"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."
A best-actor nominee a year ago for Ali, Smith would have been making his fourth appearance as a presenter at the Oscars.
Previously, Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki, whose The Man Without a Past is nominated for best foreign-language film, said he and his production company will skip the Oscars to protest the war on Iraq.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/will-smith-to-bail-out-of-oscars