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Antoine Fuqua wants his film to be taken seriously.

The new film Emancipation is scheduled to hit theaters in a limited release on December 2, followed by its main stay streaming on Apple TV+ the following week. Emancipation is a very serious film about the history of slavery in the United States and the fierce literal and metaphorical battles that eventually led to the slaves’ emancipation. However, the film’s director, Antoine Fuqua, is somewhat concerned about viewers being distracted by his leading man.

The film stars actor Will Smith in the main role, who still has a bit of a shaky reputation in the entertainment industry due to his infamous slapping of Chris Rock on the stage of the last Academy Awards. Because of this, Fuqua is worried that his reputation will distract viewers from both the importance of his film’s subject matter, and the performance that Smith himself gives to bring it to life.

“The film to me is bigger than that moment. Four hundred years of slavery is bigger than one moment,” Fuqua told Vanity Fair in an interview.

Fuqua has expressed hopes that viewers will “watch the movie and be swept away with the great performance by Will and all the real hard work that the whole crew did.”

Antoine Fuqua's 'Emancipation' starring Will Smith comes to theaters Dec. 2 and Apple TV+ Dec. 9

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Due to its pre-2023 release, Emancipation will be eligible for nominations at next year’s Academy Awards. However, due to a settlement between Smith, Rock, and the Academy, Smith is prohibited from appearing at any Academy Awards ceremonies, which presumably means he will be ineligible to receive awards as well.