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Zoë Kravitz has expressed regret for the way she called out Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars.
Following the infamous slap, The Batman star posted an Instagram photo of herself on the red carpet, alongside the caption: “Here’s a picture of my dress at the show where we are apparently assaulting people on stage now.”
A commenter at the time asked if Kravitz supported Smith defending his wife after Rock made a joke about her hair. The 33-year-old actor responded with a one-word, “Nope”.
In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Kravitz took a moment to comment on her earlier reaction.
“I’m torn about what to say right now, because I’m supposed to just talk about it; I have very complicated feelings around it,” she said. “I wish I had handled that differently. And that’s okay.”
Kravitz’s post sparked an immediate backlash from Smith supporters. She deleted the photo soon after.
“It’s a scary time to have an opinion or to say the wrong thing or to make controversial art or statements or thoughts or anything,” she said.
Zoë Kravitz and Robert Pattinson in ‘The Batman’ (AP)
However, she added that the moment reminded her that she’s an artist. “Being an artist is not about everybody loving you or everyone thinking you’re hot. It’s about expressing something that will hopefully spark a conversation or inspire people or make them feel seen,” she said.
“I think I’m in a place right now where I don’t want to express myself through a caption or a tweet. I want to express myself through art.”
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In a YouTube video posted in late July, Smith answered fan questions regarding the March fiasco denying that his wife Pinkett Smith asked him to act on her behalf.
Elsewhere in the video, Smith touched upon the reason why he didn’t apologise to Rock soon after the incident while he was on stage receiving his first Best Actor Academy Award.
Read a full transcript of Will Smith’s video apology here.