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Will Smith -- Reporters Just Don't Understand

Posted Dec 26th 2007 10:18AM by TMZ Staff

Will Smith is slamming a Scottish paper -- after one of its reporters twisted a quote he gave about Adolf Hitler in an interview -- and kicked up an unnecessary Internet s**tstorm.

Smith called the The Daily Record's quote "an awful and disgusting lie," and through his rep said he is "incensed and infuriated to have to respond to such a ludicrous misinterpretation. Adolf Hitler was a vile, heinous vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on his planet." Men in backtrack!

TMZ called the Daily Record, and we're trying to reach the reporter, Siobhan Synnot, whose byline is on the offending article, but haven't heard back.

Tags: Will Smith, WillSmith

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1. Will you you messed up man offended a whole lot of people. This wound is gonna take along time to recover. I just hope this isn't what people will remember most about your career.

Posted at 10:59AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Globaldatepages.com

2. Typical Scottish tripe to screw up a quote....hell they barely know how to read and write anyway, then they screw up a quote in English.....good thing England took them over when they did otherwise we would still have a bunch of Neanderthals living up there......

Posted at 11:02AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Learn to speak English you wanker!

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Posted at 11:08AM on Dec 26th 2007 by luby

4. Mentioning Hitler and the Holocaust was totally unnecessary. Insert foot into mouth. It is a touchy subject for many, and any comment that doesn't completely slam Hitler will always be misinterpreted as some sort of support. Hopefully this will be a lesson to others on what not to say when you're famous. I don't think Will Smith is a Hitler fan in any way, and I'm sure he was misinterpreted. Just stay off the subject, dude. Now he's going to have to go through all the PR repair motions like visiting Auschwitz, Israel, and a whole host of Jewish groups.

Posted at 11:11AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Think before you speak

5. Will, I sure hope this isn't something people will hold againist you. I mean everyone makes mistakes. It happens. But should be something you need to make a public apology for.

Posted at 11:14AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Bryan S.

6. I like Will Smith but he is the same guy who a few weeks ago was saying how great scientology was. The guys judgement isn't exactly spot on.

Posted at 11:18AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Amy

7. Will Smith and Mel Gibson = two peas in a pod. When are celebrities going to realize killing off the Jews is not the answer?

Posted at 11:16AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Jizy

8. The media is always trying to make a celebrity look bad in anything that they say or do. The man was totally misinterpreted by what he said and for that matter whenever you hear a person say something and you don't understand what they have said then in my opinion shouldn't you have had ask the man what he said and meant by his comment?!!!!

Posted at 11:30AM on Dec 26th 2007 by sldavis

9. great now this poor bastard have to meet with every single jewish group in the country....reporters does this all the time by the way...

Posted at 11:16AM on Dec 26th 2007 by RoughDaddy

10. Well if Will is upset about the "Misinterpretation" then Will tell us what you really said. There is not need attack the press and get upset. Well, that is unless you are guilty. Its funny how those with something to hide or some guilt are always the quickest to attack critisizm.

If he did nothing wrong and was misquoted, then simply tell everyone what you actually said and what you meant.

The problem is that Will is an idiot and he said something that he believed that is hurtful to some people. Some people can not stand any humanization of historical monsters. Hitler being one.

Posted at 11:23AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Troy

11. Why should he make a public apology? HE SAID HE WAS MISQUOTED. You know why the world hates us? Because we're bunch spoiled, thin skinned wimps. I'm Jewish and even if he believed Hitler was basically a good guy, WHICH HE DOESN'T, he doesn't owe me an apology. The biggest non-story of the year.

Posted at 11:19AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Lynne

12. Oh good grief! Will Smith is an intelligent, articulate man. Why would he purposely say something so incendiary? He certainly doesn't need the publicity. Words can be misunderstood (or twisted) and reporters can be looking to be famous. Use your brains people.

Posted at 11:20AM on Dec 26th 2007 by *rolling eyes*

13. Didn't believe it when i read it.

Posted at 11:19AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Kelli

14. Seems like Will Smith is screwed because the hype engine is in full gear and simply wants to tear him down. It is pretty clear that he did not say that he thought Hitler was "good." He said Hitler thought he was doing good. He also says that Hitler was wrong. I am not sure what is so outrageous about that comment. I have seen no evidence that shows that Hitler knew that what he was doing was evil. Most psychopaths think that they are doing the right thing. That's what makes them psychopaths. Why is that controversial?

Posted at 11:24AM on Dec 26th 2007 by jstuddle

15. Reading the Record article concerned, make comment 2's gratuitous anti-Scottish comments on this TMZ page look particularly stupid.
It seems obvious in the context of the article that Will Smith is making a point about ethical codes, and that bad people do not consider themselves evil.
This is an interesting but not unique philosophical point which Scottish readers were capable of taking at face value, when presented with his remarks in a responsible manner.
Unfortunately the news agency which scanned and reported the feature chose to distort and sensationalise that particular quote in a way that they did not. WENN have apologised.
Will Smith is not complaining about the Record, but the misinterpretation by websites who publish headline grabbers such as "Hitler was good" without checking the rest of the feature.

Posted at 11:40AM on Dec 26th 2007 by Perspective

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