Will Smith spotted in Ecuador filming his first project since the Oscars slap controversy

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Will Smith was photographed filming the National Geographic/Disney+ series Welcome to Earth on Thursday in Ecuador

Will Smith is back in the saddle.

The actor, 53, was photographed filming the National Geographic/Disney+ series Welcome to Earth in Ecuador for the first time since slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in March.

On Thursday, Smith was pictured in Ecuador, specifically in Alaus, a town in Ecuador’s Chimborazo province.

Smith may be seen sporting a long-sleeved shirt and baseball cap aboard the La Nariz del Diablo train, blowing a kiss to admirers through the window in one photo.

Will Smith in Ecuador

During the Oscars telecast on March 27, Smith rushed onstage and struck Rock, 57, after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. (The actress, 50, suffers from baldness.)

The reprimand prompted the Best Actor winner to withdraw from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was barred from attending Academy events for ten years.

The King Richard star apologized to Rock in a statement on Instagram the following day before posting an apology video on his social media accounts on July 29, explaining that night and apologizing directly to Rock and his family.

“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out,” Smith said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

According to the Arizona Republic, Rock reportedly denied an invitation to host the 2023 Academy Awards following the notorious slap, comparing returning to the Oscars to returning to the site of a crime.

During a comedy show in Phoenix, the comic made a reference to O.J. Simpson’s 1995 murder trial, saying it would be like asking the late Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant” where her mother had left a pair of glasses the night of her death.

Rock allegedly stated that Smith’s slap stung, referring to the actor’s performance as Muhammed Ali in the 2001 film Ali and explaining, “He’s bigger than me.” Nevada’s state government would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”

Following the slapping incident, the comedian, who previously hosted the Oscars in 2005 and 2016, declined an offer to appear in a Super Bowl commercial.