Are Chris Rock and Will Smith not equal in status in Hollywood?

[Damnshow]

Will Smith is way wayyyy more popular worldwide than Chris Rock. More popular than Dave Chappelle too.

You could travel to the middle of Mongolia or something and you'll find people who know who Will is. Cause their television probably still plays them MiB or Bad Boy movies.

 

[NYChase718]

Everybody hates Chris

 

[Ziggiy]

Will is the bigger star. I think Chris is different than other big comedians because he never really had a starring hit comedy as huge as the biggest movies of Pryor, Eddie, Martin, Chris Tucker, K. Hart (I also think Dave coulda did it too if he had wanted a movie career after Chappelle's Show). They are all better comic actors than Chris - but since Chris is still one of the best stand up comedians ever, he still gets steady work. Not too different from George Carlin - will always be known first and foremost for his stand up, but still appeared in movies and TV shows. His best acting performance is probably still New Jack City.

I think he did great in Top 5

 

[Ziggiy]

Denzel a great actor and arguably one of the best. But he is 20 years older than Leo so hard to compare their careers until both of them are over. Take past 20 years out of Denzel repertoire and you subtracting everything after Training Day. Films like John Q, Man on Fire, American Gangster, Taking of Pelham 123, Book of Eli. Hard to say how Leo career might fare the next 20 years. Both have made excellent films and have played a variety of characters and roles real well. Of course its hard to compare to Will record of 8 straight 100 million dollar films. And with streaming more relevant than ever, who knows if it'll ever be broken.

Denzel is older than Will and too and Will still managed to become a supernova surpassing anything financially speaking we’d ever seen from an actor, let alone a BLACK actor. Leonardo had the benefit of whiteness and couldn’t surpass Will Smith in global celebrity or box office and has the benefit of working with Scorsese half his career and won’t ever surpass Denzel in overall acclaim or respect. It is what it is. All three of their legacies are already set in stone when it comes to levels of fame. Denzel will always command more respect and Will Smith will always command more global attention. With all of the different projects Will has a hand in he could legitimately be an EGOT contender if he ever wanted to do a Play. Leo will never have that opportunity as he’s not musically talented.

 

[Neo. The Only. The One.]

If the reaction from Will’s own peers after last night’s incident doesn’t show you the amount of respect he has then nothing will.

Will smacked FIRE out of Chris and everyone went to check on WILL




Will is a global superstar beloved by almost everybody. Chris Rock is definitely A List as a comedian but as far as “levels” of celebrity respect in Hollywood Will Smith has NO equal like I said before. Because in our society the amount of money you generate directly correlates to your own greatness and the amounts of respect you get. A Chris Rock stand up special, no matter how good or how hyped isn’t grossing $100 Million at the box office. A Chris Rock MOVIE isn’t grossing that much unless its an animated family film. Chris Rock will never release a platinum album with a number 1 single. Chris Rock’s sitcom never did the viewership numbers that Fresh Prince did.


There’s simply no comparison between the two. I’m not saying Chris Rock’s not great or that he’s not top tier in his field. He’s simply not on Will Smith level and there’s a few in modern history who can even be placed in the conversation.


Hell we ALL KNOW Denzel Washington is objectively a better actor than Will Smith. Denzel is one of the three greatest actors of the last 40 years and only someone like Deniro, Daniel Day Lewis and MAAYYYYBEEEE Leonardo Di’Caprio could boast that they are on his level….but still Denzel isn’t WILL SMITH levels of global impact and superstardom. Denzel will never win a Grammy (Smith has four, including the first EVER awarded to a rap act) Denzel will never release 8 STRAIGHT movies that gross $100 Million at the domestic box office. Will Smith is on his a very VERY rare level.

I was with you until the Denzel slander

 

[Big Boss]

It means 3>1. Was this a rhetorical question?

 

[Ziggiy]

Chris might be more respected by peers

The Oscars proved he wasn’t. Everyone came to Will’s defense and when he won he got a standing ovation whereas nobody cared about Chris.


All of those peers went out and partied with Will afterwards too. Even before the Oscars Will’s fellow nominees showed him public love and support even as they were losing to him. Andrew Garfield said that he didn’t mind losing to Will and was such a fan he just wanted to meet him. Cumberbatch said “You don’t lose to Will Smith you win by being in his company”.

 

[Ziggiy]

I was with you until the Denzel slander

There is no Denzel slander I clearly said that its an unarguable FACT he’s better than Will Smith as an actor and better than anybody at his craft except three, PERHAPS four other living actors who are on his level. He’s just not on Will’s level of FAME and global celebrity due to the fact that Will also has music and an iconic television role in his arsenal. Will was able to touch and influence people in a manner that will most likely never be seen again. NO ACTOR IN HISTORY can say they had EIGHT STRAIGHT films gross $100 Million at the domestic box office. No other performer in HISTORY can also add a 9 Times Platinum album and a TV show so popular worldwide that literally the entire WORLD can recite it’s theme song word for word. Will Smith breathes rarified air and these are just facts.

 

[Still Benefited]

Leo does prestige movies more than outright blockbusters; nikka ain't even 50 and has starred in like 10 Best Picture nominees. You acting like he's out there attempting Inception every movie and failing. And Denzel has spoken about wanting to work with Scorsese, Spielberg, etc. I'm not talking about their acting talent; I think both are among the top 4 or so film actors working right now. I'm talking clout. DiCaprio has unprecedented clout for an actor in the film industry. I'm talking Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Michael Mann, Spike Lee, PTA, Guillermo Del Toro, Ang Lee, Oliver Stone, and countless others have tried to cast him. If Kubrick was alive, he'd be hiring Leo. If Polanski weren't cancelled, he'd be casting Leo.

Thats not really fair. Dicaprio transforms himself into other people. Denzel for all intents and purposes is pretty much always Denzel. People who hire Denzel want Denzel. People who hire Dicaprio want him to be somebody else entirely. Denzel as a brand is bigger than Dicaprio I would say. But Dicaprio has more range and more respect. But Jamie Foxx can transform into other people too. If he was consistent as an actor hed probably get those type off offers Dicaprio gets. Its just a matter of who specializes in doing impressions better. Denzel dont get asked to do impressions of other people,they call and say "We need Denzel". If we were talkjng strictly acting thats a different debate

 

[imfromthesouthside]

Who cares who is bigger? They both will die rich and made their mark on earth and will be talked about the next 50 years after they die. But one is a cuck in real time and is raised his children in a home full of filth and debauchery. I take Chris Rock’s life any day. Will Smith had “cuck” trending on Twitter yesterday. He’s a cuck no matter what.

 

[NeoSeeker]

You really think Will Smith gives a damn about what some dweebs on Twitter think?

 

[STAN JONES]

Will Smith is a super elite

Chris Rock isn’t anywhere close to his level

 

[Woodrow]

will was at one point the top draw and biggest box office star in hollywood. no matter how long or brief a run you have in that position, the names who make the list is not very long. that's tom hanks, tom cruise, ah-nuld shyt.

 

[pez]

Chris Rock is bigger than Dave Chappelle.

I LOOOOOVE Chris. Chris Rock had that 2-3 specials that are greater than anything Dave put out. And I'm a huuuuuuge Dave fan. Chris' peak comedy is better than anything Dave put out. Every bit was a classic and quotable. That Bring the Pain special. That was my entire HS and College experience with roommates. Whacha want a cookie? Everything was a quote.

Dave's peak was the Chappelle Show that was crazy too. I would say Dave's peak did more because comedy as a whole is a bigger market but Chris had more classic material.

But today in 2022, Dave is a god that has another world of celebrities orbiting him. Chris is just not that type. He doesn't do that type of circle. Man, Hollywood did Chris Rock dirty by letting anyone including an A lister Will Smith touch him. Will should've been outta there for that.

 

[Dad]

I’d rather see a Will smith movie over a Chris Rock movie