Will Smith has given a "subtle string of apologies" to his mum over the years due to his feelings of "guilt" - and continued this during his tearful Oscars speech.
The 53-year-old actor, who has always vowed to protect his family, mentions his mother every time he is in the spotlight.
Will apologised to the Academy after he slapped Chris Rock earlier in Sunday night's ceremony when he took offence to a joke made at wife Jada Pinkett Smith's expense.
The I Am Legend star stood up for Jada, who suffers from alopecia and decided to shave her head, after Chris mocked her "GI Jane" appearance.
Just minutes later, Will was back up on stage after winning the Best Actor award and paid tribute to his mother, Caroline Bright.
"To my mother. Um, a lot of this moment is really complicated for me, but to my mother," he said during an emotional moment.
"She didn’t want to come out. She had her knitting friends, she has a knitting crew watching with her. Being able to love and care for my mother, my family, my wife."
At the end of last year, Will opened up about a traumatising childhood experience which left him feeling guilt over 'failing' to protect his mum.
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Will wrote about one incident in particular where he witnessed his mum being punched by his father, William Carroll Smith Sr, in his book.
In an extract shared by People in November last year, Will explained that his dad had been "at every game, recital and play" - but was "violent" and an alcoholic.
"When I was nine years old, I watched my father punch my mother in the side of the head so hard that she collapsed," he said.
"I saw her spit blood. That moment in that bedroom, probably more than any other moment in my life, has defined who I am."
His parents split up when he was a teenager and divorced in 2000 - with Will's dad dying from cancer in 2016.
Heartbreakingly, Will has struggled with feelings of guilt and now pays tribute to his mum every time he accepts an award.
"Within everything that I have done since then — the awards and accolades, the spotlights and the attention, the characters and the laughs — there has been a subtle string of apologies to my mother for my inaction that day," the actor continued.
"For failing her in that moment. For failing to stand up to my father. For being a coward."
Will said that he created the 'Will Smith' persona as a way of hiding himself from the world and he decided to be funny' to please his father.
He explained that he believed as long as his dad was laughing and smiling, he and his mum "would be safe" from him.
While he did maintain a close relationship with his father, Will struggled to forgive him for what he did to his mother.
During one moment while his dad was elderly, he admitted he had dark thoughts and considered 'avenging' his mum while wheeling his dad from the bedroom towards the bathroom and close to a set of stairs.
Explaining that a "darkness arose within me", Will confessed that he had always told himself that when he was "big and strong enough" he would get revenge.
"I paused at the top of the stairs. I could shove him down, and easily get away with it," Will wrote.
"I could shove him down, and easily get away with it. As the decades of pain, anger, and resentment coursed then receded, I shook my head and proceeded to wheel Daddio to the bathroom."
After Will Senior died in 2016, the Fresh Prince star reflected on their turbulent relationship and what it taught him about finding true fulfilment.
"There is nothing that you can receive from the material world that will create inner peace or fulfilment," he wrote
"In the end, it will not matter one single bit how well [people] loved you — you will only gain 'the Smile' based on how well you loved them."
Will's latest tribute to his mum came during the acceptance speech for his Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard.
He started by comparing himself to his character, the father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, claiming they are both "fierce defenders" of family.
The actor said that he got to protect the two actress who played his on-screen daughters while making the film, adding: "I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people."
Then seemingly addressing the controversial incident with Rock, he continued: "I know to do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business.
"You gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that‘s Ok."
Will had been consoled by fellow actors Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper during breaks in the ceremony.
In his speech, Will went on to reveal what Denzel had told him during the commercial break: "Be careful at your highest moment… that's when the devil comes for you."
The actor also used his acceptance speech to say: "I want to apologise to the Academy, I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees."
He continued: "This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award, it's not about winning an award for me, it's about being able to shine a light on all of the people.
"Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams, but love will make you do crazy things."
After paying a beautiful tribute to his mother and other members of his family he added: "Thank you for this honour, thank you for this moment...I hope the Academy invites me back. Thank you."
* If you need help, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 - it's run by charity Refuge and the free number is in operation 24 hours a day
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