‘Her Imprint on the Sport of Tennis Is Priceless’: ‘King Richard’ Actress Aunjanue Ellis Tells Us the Story of Oracene Price, the Mother of Venus and Serena Williams

One of the best sports movies of last year, ‘King Richard’, is getting a lot of Oscar buzz at the moment. The movie told us about the early life of Venus and Serena Williams and the role their father, Richard Williams, and mother, Oracene Price, played in shaping their career. Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis did a tremendous job playing the father and mother.

The movie was mainly about the story of Richard Williams, as the title suggests. However, this movie doesn’t ignore the role of their mother, who actually improved Serena’s serve, as per the movie. The actress who played Oracene Price, Aunjanue Ellis, recently talked about giving some respect towards Oracene Price’s name. 

Aunjanue Ellis feels happy to tell the story of Oracene Price

In a recent interview with CBS, Aunjanue Ellis revealed she didn’t know about the influence Oracene Price had on Serena and Venus Williams’ career. The actress thought Oracene was only the mother sitting in the stands and supporting their daughters. After doing her movie, the actress felt privileged to tell the story of Oracene Price on the big screen. 

“There’re gonna be so many more movies that are gonna be done about Venus and Serena… but how many times are we gonna get a chance to tell Ms. Oracene Price’s story, while she’s alive,” Aunjanue said. 

There is also serious buzz about the movie getting an Oscar nomination. In addition to the movie, both Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis could also potentially receive an Oscar nomination. 

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“That is something completely out of my hands (smiling)… I’m just so excited that I’m a part of something that gives us, this country, a chance to give Ms. Oracene Price her flowers… Her imprint on the sport of tennis… is priceless,” Aunjanue said about her potential Oscar nomination. 

Price’s influence on Venus and Serena Williams’ career

Like Aunjanue, many fans also saw Oracene Price on the stands supporting both Serena and Venus, and she still does that during Grand Slam events. According to the movie, Oracene was training Serena, trying to improve her serve while Richard was away with Venus. 

According to Aunjanue, Oracene taught herself tennis to train both Serena and Venus. “she trained herself to teach her daughters how to play, while she was working two jobs and being their mother,” the actress revealed. 

Richard Williams often gets the credit for shaping Venus and Serena’s career. However, their mother had as much influence as Richard, if not more. Certainly, the movie ‘King Richard’ tells her story beautifully. 

What are your views on Price’s influence on Venus and Serena’s career? Let us know in the comments.

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