Denzel Washington's version of Will Smith's hit on Chris Rock at the Oscars

Denzel Washington experienced Will Smith's blow to Chris Rock live at the Oscars and was one of the actors, along with Bradley Cooper, who approached his colleague after the incident. Almost a week after the scandal, Washington gave its version of what happened and gave details about what happened during the advertising break.

It should be remembered that half an hour after the violent episode, Smith returned to the stage to receive the Oscar for Best Actor. In his speech, he said that Washington had told him: “At your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil is coming for you.”

Washington, who was seen calming Smith down after the altercation, confirmed his colleague's sayings and better explained his words: “Well, there is a saying: 'When the devil ignores you, then you know you're doing something wrong'. The devil says, 'Oh no, leave him alone, it's my favorite. ' On the contrary, when the devil comes to you, maybe it's because you're trying to do something right. And for some reason, the devil seized that circumstance that night.”

Washington, Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper were seen talking to Smith during the commercial break that followed after Smith punched Rock in the face over a joke directed at his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who was sitting in the front row.

“There's no way I could have sat in my seat. That's not who I am,” the actor added. “Fortunately there were people there. Not just me, but others, like Tyler Perry, who came immediately with me and said a few prayers. I don't want to tell what we talked about. Who are we to condemn him? I don't know all the details of the situation, but I know that the only solution was prayer,” he added.

Following a public apology to Rock on his social media, Will Smith on Friday submitted his resignation from the Hollywood Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“I resign from being a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and I will accept any other consequences that the Board deems appropriate,” the actor wrote in a statement. “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards were shocking, painful and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends, everyone in attendance and the global audience at home.”

“I betrayed the trust of the Academy. My heart is broken,” Smith said.

The Hollywood Academy confirmed the acceptance of Smith's resignation through a statement signed by its president, David Rubin. But, at the same time, he reported that the disciplinary procedure opened against the actor for violations of the entity's codes of conduct will continue.

Rock, meanwhile, referred for the first time in public to what happened in a stand-up show he gave in the city of Boston. There, he assured that he is still “processing what happened”.

The comedian received praise for the way he handled the fact.

Oscar producer Will Packer told ABC that it was Rock's professionalism that allowed the show to go ahead.

Authorities took no action because Rock refused to press charges, Parker added.

The ovation Smith received for his Oscar victory has been heavily criticized, with accusations that Hollywood did not take the assault seriously.

Packer said the applause was for the actor and his work, not for the incident.

“I think the people in that room who stood up, stood up because of someone they knew, who was a colleague, who was a friend, who was a brother, who has a career of more than three decades of being the opposite of what we saw at that time,” he said. “All these people saw their friend at their worst and hoped to cheer him up.”

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