'This joker's lucky I didn't sucker-punch him,' says the 'Men in Black 3' star after slightly backhand slapping the reporter on the cheek on the red carpet of his film's Moscow premiere.
- May 19, 2012
AceShowbiz - Will Smith lost his cool on a recent red carpet event. The "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" attended the Moscow premiere of his latest movie, "Men in Black 3", on Friday, May 18, and was caught on tape backhand slapping a Ukrainian reporter, who invaded his personal space by trying to kiss him on the lips.
The brief incident took place after the male reporter asked Will for a hug. The husband of Jada Pinkett Smith happily obliged to the request, and the man planted a smooch near the actor's lips. Surprised, Will shoved the man back and snarled, "Come on, man. What the hell is your problem, buddy?" Just before he walked away, he gave the reporter a light smack on the cheek.
Will quickly regained his composure as he continued to make his way down the red carpet. Still, the "I Am Legend" star was heard addressing the situation as saying, "Sorry, he tried to kiss me in my mouth. This joker's lucky I didn't sucker-punch him." Realizing that the camera was still rolling, he added, "Oh, sorry, I said that on camera."
An eyewitness said that Will didn't mean harm with his action. "His hand flew up. He did not want to hit or punish the guy," so explained the source on the scene to E! News. "It was a light incident. Nothing was delayed and no one was escorted out. Will laughed it off and moved on."
According to TMZ, the Ukrainian reporter, who wore black shirt, white tie and white suit, was known in Europe for often trying to kiss stars he interviews as his part of his "shtick". After getting the slap in the face, the man slowly moved away without comment and took a stand behind a camera.
