Will Smith reveals what his celebrity friends think of his acting comeback – including Rihanna

Will Smith discussed his first picture since his Oscar incident, Emancipation, and the reaction to his return.

While the film has received average reviews from critics. Smith, on the other hand, is receiving support and admiration from other celebrities and fans.

Speaking with E! News on the red carpet, he revealed that Rihanna quite enjoyed the film.

“Rihanna loved the cinematography, she could not get over the look of the film and how it felt.”

The “Lift Me Up” singer had attended a private screening of the movie with Smith and a select group of others, including Dave Chappelle, Tyler Perry, and Rihanna’s boyfriend A$AP Rocky.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air lead shared a glimpse of the special screening on his Instagram back in October, including a selfie of the A-list group.

“The thing that’s great with Black people is they talk to the screen the whole time, so you don’t have to ask people’s opinion,” joked Smith.

He captioned it with: “EPIC night!! Thanx for coming to see #Emancipation. Hope ya’ll enjoyed!!” and quickly received praise from fans and celebs alike. Kenya, who is a writer and producer, wrote: “This night was MAGIC and your movie is truly something that will last forever!”

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According to IMDB, the historical drama Emancipation is set during the American Civil War and centers on a guy named Peter, played by Will, who escapes slavery and embarks on a journey to find freedom from the plantation owners who almost killed him.

In a previous interview, Smith said that it’s okay that some of his supporters might not be ready for his comeback following the Chris Rock Oscar slap.

“I completely understand that if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready,” the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum, 53, shared on Good Day DC on Sunday, November 27, when asked about how fans will respond to the film. “My deepest concern is my team, you know? [Director] Antoine [Fuqua] has done what I think is the greatest work of his entire career. … The people on this team have done some of the best work of their entire careers, and my deepest hope is that my actions don’t penalize my team. At this point, that’s what I’m working for. That’s what I’m hoping for.”