Mila Kunis Says Standing Ovation for Will Smith at Oscars After Slap Was 'Shocking': 'Insane to Me'

Mila Kunis stands by her decision not to give Will Smith a standing ovation at the Oscars — even when the majority of attendees did.

The Luckiest Girl Alive actress, 39, and husband Ashton Kutcher attended the Academy Awards on March 27, when Smith, 54, left his seat to go onstage and hit Chris Rock over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. (The joke was about Jada's shaved head; she lives with alopecia, and Will explained in a statement days later that the punchline was "too much for me to bear" and he "reacted emotionally.")

Shortly after that, Smith won Best Actor for King Richard and delivered a tear-filled speech as many attendees stood up to applaud him.

Kunis told C Magazine in a new cover story that she was "shocked" by how many people in the crowd stood for him after the incident.

"The idea of leading by example only makes sense when you actually have someone to lead. We have our tiny little tribe here at home, and never once do I want to tell them to do something if I'm not willing to do it myself," said the mom of two.

"Not standing up, to me, was a no-brainer, but what was shocking to me was how many people did stand up," said Kunis. "I thought, 'Wow, what a time we're living in that rather than do what's right, people focus on doing what looks good.' It's insane to me."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Smith has since apologized to Rock and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which banned him from attending its events for 10 years. He's making his movie return in the upcoming drama Emancipation, which is eligible for the next awards season cycle.

In a video shared earlier this summer, Smith said he has been doing "a lot of thinking and personal work" in the months since. He said, "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. 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."

Smith explained that he is "trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself," adding, "I'm human. I made a mistake and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of s---."

The actor also addressed his disappointed fans: "I hate when I let people down. It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn't live up to people's image and impression of me."

"I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking, but I promise you I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world," he continued in the video. "And if you hang on, I promise we'll be able to be friends again."