Shad Ellis, Will Smith’s lookalike, has come out with accusations of collecting thousands of dollars to mimic the King Richard actor’s notorious Oscars slap.
The 43-year-old look-alike spilled the beans on his thriving company after Smith punched Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards, according to The Sun.
“I’ve received more requests and appointments this week than I have in a long time,” the Bedford native told the publication.
“Isn’t it an ancient adage that any publicity is good publicity?”
“Requests are pouring in at an alarming rate… I’ve also received offers for slaps in the face, such as ‘can you speak about this product and say if they don’t purchase it, they’ll be slapped in the face,’ but I’ve turned anything like that down because I don’t want to be disrespectful to the situation “He further.
Ellis, on the other hand, said that he has not taken any job for ‘kicking someone when they’re down.’
“It’s not always about the money… what was more important to me was my connection with someone I’d been mimicking for so many years, who’s now a part of my life,” he said.
“I can’t do anything that may be seen as disrespectful to the situation because I’m planning on working with him in the future and I don’t want to burn my bridges,” Ellis continued.
