April 02, 2022
Will Smith has been slammed with fresh allegations of questionable conduct by a co-star Paul Rodriguez who starred alongside Smith in Oscar-winning 2001 biopic.
The 67-year-old comic has claimed that the King Richard actor smacked him with a ‘verbal slap’ every day on the set.
“Chris Rock only took one slap at the Oscars ... but I took a verbal slap from Will Smith every day,” Rodriguez spilled to The Sun.
"And sometimes I think the emotional injuries are just as deep, if not deeper, than physical ones," the actor added.
The Mexican-American actor also claimed that his career turned into a ‘nightmare’ because of Smith.
“That movie was meant to be a huge stepping stone in my career, but for me it ended up being a nightmare because of all the sickening abuse I got from Smith,” he continued.
"He was evil to me but nice to everyone else. It was sort of like Jekyll and Hyde."
Rodriguez helmed Dr. Ferdie Pacheco’s character in blockbuster movie who was personal physician and cornerman of the boxing legend Muhammad Ali.