‘She Trained Herself to Teach Her Daughters’: Potential Oscar Nominee Aunjanue Ellis Reveals How Serena Williams’ Mother Oracene Price Shaped Her Career

Since its release, ‘King Richard’ has been gathering brilliant reviews from critics and fans alike. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the film narrates the story of Richard Williams (played by Will Smith), the father of Venus and Serena Williams. The story of their father was well-told and well-written in the movie. However, one other aspect of this movie surprised many fans, i.e. their mother, Oracene Price. 

Played by the actress Aunjanue Ellis, Oracene played a vital role in making Venus and Serena two of the greatest tennis players of all time. Ellis recently talked about the role and how surprised she was to know more about Oracene. 

Aunjanue Ellis talks about the role of Oracene Price

Will Smith did an outstanding job in the movie, portraying Richard Williams. At the same time, Aunjanue Ellis also gave us a brilliant performance, playing Oracene Price. Unsurprisingly, the movie ‘King Richard’ is generating Oscar buzz, and Aunjanue Ellis’ part in it is often mentioned in those conversations. 

Initially, Aunjanue didn’t know that Oracene was actually a coach. After doing a lot of research, the actress found out about Oracene’s background, which genuinely surprised Aunjanue. 

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“When I was doing my initial research, I looked her up, and I saw that she described herself as a coach… I really had kind of a condescending reaction to that… but then when I got the job and found out the truth of Ms. Oracene’s journey with her daughters and with her husband, she was absolutely their coach… and she trained herself to teach her daughters how to play, while she was working two jobs and being their mother,” Aunjanue revealed. 

After the initial release on 19th November 2021, many critics thought ‘King Richard’ was an Oscar-worthy movie. The movie had many powerful moments and everyone remembers the kitchen scene from the movie between Richard Williams and Oracene Price. Both Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis gave powerful performances.

Oracene’s influence on Venus and Serena Williams’ career

We all know the part Richard Williams played to shape the career of Venus and Serena Williams. However, we seldom hear about the role their mother, Oracene Price, played during the early days. Many fans have seen their mother sitting inside the player’s box during Venus and Serena’s matches. 

Interestingly, no one thought of her as a coach and it seems the actress Aunjanue Ellis made the same mistake as well. After watching the movie, Oracene Price will get all the respect for giving the tennis world two of the best players of all time. 

What are your thoughts about the movie? Let us know in the comments. 

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