‘He Wasn’t This Exploitative Dude’ – Aunjanue Ellis on How King Richard Insisted on a Normal Childhood for Venus and Serena Williams

The success story of Serena Williams and Venus Williams is incredible. Richard Williams, their father, was the first to introduce the two sisters to tennis. Further, he began coaching them with lessons and took them to the public tennis courts when they were four and a half years old.

The Williams sisters turned professional at the age of 14. While Venus won her first WTA title in 1998 as a 17-year-old, Serena won her first title a year later. Since then, the two have gone on to dominate the sport. Moreover, they have also had success by teaming with each other, winning 14 Grand Slam doubles titles.

A biopic on their father named ‘King Richard’ hit the theatres in November last year, highlighting his role in making them the stars they are today. Notably, the film has been well received by the audience and critics. Moreover, the film received nominations for several awards.

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Recently, Aunjanue Ellis, who played the role of Oracene, made some interesting revelations about the two sisters’ childhood.

Aunjanue Ellis opens up on the message denoted by ‘King Richard’

The American actress talked about her role in the film. In the podcast interview, the interviewer asked Ellis whether she liked the message in the film about taking concern for the young athletes when they are under intense pressure to perform at their best.

She said, “Yeah, and I love the idea that this was done through their father. You know that it was their father who was insisting that they be young girls, you know, that he wasn’t this exploitative dude. You know, he wanted them to be successful tennis players, but he also wanted them to have a childhood, you know, and insisted on that.”

Further, she added, “That’s what he did, and there would be no Venus and Serena Williams as we know them. Sure, these women are spectacular women, but what we know of them as tennis players, he and Ms. Oracene, they made that happen.”

The film received many laurels and awards. The star cast involving Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, and others received many praises for their performances. Will Smith won the Golden Globe Award for the ‘Best Actor-Motion Picture Drama.’ Moreover, the film was selected for the ‘AFI Movies of the Year.’ Recently, the film received six nominations at the Academy Awards.

Venus and Serena Williams’ long absence from the tour

While Serena is suffering from a hamstring injury, Venus is out due to a leg injury. The younger Williams sister has been away from tennis for more than seven months. She slipped on the wet grass surface while playing at Wimbledon in June last year. The hamstring injury put an end to her 2021 season.

On the other hand, Venus last played at the WTA Chicago Women’s Open in August last year. Their long absence has severely affected their WTA rankings. While Serena is placed at the 241st position, Venus has slipped to 465th place in the world.

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We miss the Williams sisters in action and hope they come back strongly later this year.