At the Moscow premiere of Men in Black 3 Will Smith slapped a reporter who got a bit too close for comfort to the star.
Videos are circling the web which show a Ukrainian journalist in a white suit greeting Smith and shaking his hand. The journalist leans in and kisses Smith on the cheek and as he moves his head to kiss his other cheek, he is pushed back by Smith who shouts, “What the hell is your problem, buddy?” The MIB actor then slaps the reporter and walks away, shaking his head. He tries to explain himself to the crowd by saying, “Hey, sorry, he tried to kiss me on my mouth. He’s lucky I didn’t sucker punch him.” He then apologises again for having said that to the camera.
A woman standing behind Smith in a black coat and leopard print scarf looks visibly shocked and appears to be giving out to him.
The question has been raised as to whether or not Will Smith overreacted to the kiss. In Russia and in the Ukraine, it is customary to greet people with three kisses on the cheek. It is impossible to tell from the video if this is what the reporter was doing, or if he actually was trying to kiss him on the mouth.
The journalist has been named as Vitalii Sediuk who has been noted for his slightly erratic behaviour with celebrities in the past. At the Moscow premiere of I Don’t Know How She Does It, the television host tried the same trick with Sarah Jessica Parker. He is also famously known for presenting Madonna with a bunch of hydrangeas- her least favourite flower- at the Venice Film Festival last year, hoping that she would throw a diva-strop.
After the altercation with Smith, the journalist is seen returning to his cameraman and whispering in his ear.
This journalist smells a publicity stunt from Sediuk… What do you think?
Images courtesy of HipHollywood
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