Festivals - SBIFF 2022 : Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis had received the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award

By Mulder, Santa Barbara, Arlington Theater, 06 march 2022

The 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival featured a tribute presented by Mantiou Fund to Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis, who received the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award, for their outstanding performances in this year’s “King Richard” from Warner Bros Pictures. Smith and Ellis sat down with The Hollywood Reporter’s longtime awards columnist and host of its popular Awards Chatter podcast, Scott Feinberg for an indepth discussion about their cinematic careers. Will Smith looked quite dapper on the red carpet dressed from head to toe in Dolce & Gabbana

Will Smith took us down memory lane from when he made history by being the first Grammy winner for Best Rap Performance: “It was a great coincidence that it was the first year that they actually had a rap category. I started rapping when I was twelve years old…I just loved it. I loved the words and being up in front of people. From the first time I heard “Rappers Delight” I knew I wanted to do that.”  When a fight broke out in the audience of the theater, Will Smith says “That’s why it’s important to have white audiences because that would’ve gone differently where you (Aunjanue) and I grew up. You want to act out how that would’ve gone if someone poured a drink on you?” Aunjanue jokingly proceeds to pretend to remove her earrings. 

Aunjanue Ellis on playing Mrs. Hunt in If Beale Street Could Talk: “I loved that character so much because she was so unlikeable and hated by everyone in the room, and I loved it. It gave me so much joy, and I think leaning into that and not caring what anyone thought of me was so liberating and it was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had.” 

Aunjanue and Will’s reaction after watching their moving kitchen scene from King Richard: Will says, “Aunjaune just whispered in my ear, that’s the first time she’s ever seen that scene, she’s never watched it. That scene wrecks me.” Will jokes, “You should see some of your movies, they’re fantastic.” Aunjaune emotionally says, “I just feel that I am grateful to you, Will. That’s what I feel. That was fun to do, and the fact that director Reinaldo Marcus Green and Will Smith believed in me, I got to do that.” 

Discover the official photos on our Flickr page

Photos : Copyright Getty Images

(Source : press release)