Crowning Achievement

Multi-Oscar nominee Will Smith was in fine form when he received the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award with co-star Aunjanue Ellis for their roles in the Warner Bros. movie King Richard, about the father of international racketeers Serena and Venus Williams, at the Arlington as part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Smith, 53, also a four-time Grammy winner, not to mention a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild recipient, lost no time going down memory lane when he made history as the first Grammy winner for Best Rap Performance.

“It was a great coincidence that it was the first year they actually had a rap category,” reminisced Dolce & Gabbana attired Smith, whose films have grossed more than $9.3 billion at the global box office. “I started rapping when I was 12 years old… I just loved it,” he told the Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg. “I loved the words and being up in front of people. From the first time I heard ‘Rapper’s Delight’ I knew I wanted to do that.”

After their interview, King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green presented the dynamic duo with the award. “Working with these two was like sitting in on a master class every day,” he gushed.

Previous recipients have included Adam Driver, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rami Malek, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Cate Blanchett, Colin Firth, Viola Davis, Helen Mirren, Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet, and Charlize Theron. Quite the pantheon…