‘King Richard’: Everything to Know About the Will Smith Film Inspired by Serena and Venus Williams’ Dad

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

‘King Richard’: Everything to Know About the Will Smith Film Inspired by Serena and Venus Williams’ Dad

Game, set, match! Will Smith is the star of King Richard, a film that tells the story of Richard Williams, the father of Venus Williams and Serena Williams. The movie, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, looks at how the sisters from Compton, California, became two of the greatest athletes in tennis history — and the role that their domineering dad played in helping them get there. Smith told Entertainment Weekly that the character appealed to him for a very personal reason. “[He] remind[ed] me a lot of my father,” the actor said in November 2021. “It was that same generation — men that used to fix everything with their hands. I understood what it was like to live at the edge of survival and to try to sustain a dream.” Over the course of nearly three decades, the Williams sisters have gone from being teen phenoms to sport icons, winning 30 Grand Slam titles between the two of them. However, Serena said her father was the driving force behind her and Venus' success — which is why the film is named after him. [jwplayer wDIIYzBc-zhNYySv2] "There are so many ways to tell this story,” she told EW in November 2021. “But I think telling it through my dad was the best way because he had the idea. He knew how to do it." The Louisiana native didn’t play tennis himself, but “he stayed up many nights watching films so he could teach us,” Serena said in a 2003 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “He taught our mom and then they taught us. … Our father doesn't get enough credit. He showed us how to serve, and we have the biggest serves in women's tennis.” The film covers a seven-year period in the ‘90s when Richard was trying to get his daughters noticed by elite coaches — but Serena admitted that the things happening on screen still felt real to her now. "There's a scene where my dad says..." she said in a November 2021 interview with Smith before catching herself. "Well, Will says that you're doing this for every Black girl. And that really hit me in a different way because obviously at the time we didn't know." Richard has taken a less visible role in his daughters' careers, but Smith hopes the film will keep his legacy alive. “One of the greatest honors as an actor is to be able to celebrate someone’s legacy while they’re still here creating it,” the Men in Black star wrote via Instagram in July 2021. Keep scrolling to learn more about King Richard: [podcast_block]

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

‘King Richard’: Everything to Know About the Will Smith Film Inspired by Serena and Venus Williams’ Dad

Game, set, match! Will Smith is the star of King Richard, a film that tells the story of Richard Williams, the father of Venus Williams and Serena Williams. The movie, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, looks at how the sisters from Compton, California, became two of the greatest athletes in tennis history — and the role that their domineering dad played in helping them get there. Smith told Entertainment Weekly that the character appealed to him for a very personal reason. “[He] remind[ed] me a lot of my father,” the actor said in November 2021. “It was that same generation — men that used to fix everything with their hands. I understood what it was like to live at the edge of survival and to try to sustain a dream.” Over the course of nearly three decades, the Williams sisters have gone from being teen phenoms to sport icons, winning 30 Grand Slam titles between the two of them. However, Serena said her father was the driving force behind her and Venus' success — which is why the film is named after him. [jwplayer wDIIYzBc-zhNYySv2] "There are so many ways to tell this story,” she told EW in November 2021. “But I think telling it through my dad was the best way because he had the idea. He knew how to do it." The Louisiana native didn’t play tennis himself, but “he stayed up many nights watching films so he could teach us,” Serena said in a 2003 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “He taught our mom and then they taught us. … Our father doesn't get enough credit. He showed us how to serve, and we have the biggest serves in women's tennis.” The film covers a seven-year period in the ‘90s when Richard was trying to get his daughters noticed by elite coaches — but Serena admitted that the things happening on screen still felt real to her now. "There's a scene where my dad says..." she said in a November 2021 interview with Smith before catching herself. "Well, Will says that you're doing this for every Black girl. And that really hit me in a different way because obviously at the time we didn't know." Richard has taken a less visible role in his daughters' careers, but Smith hopes the film will keep his legacy alive. “One of the greatest honors as an actor is to be able to celebrate someone’s legacy while they’re still here creating it,” the Men in Black star wrote via Instagram in July 2021. Keep scrolling to learn more about King Richard: [podcast_block]

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Release Date

King Richard opens in theaters on November 19, 2021, and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Cast

Smith plays the titular role of Richard Williams, alongside Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as young Venus and Serena, respectively. Both actresses completed intensive training sessions to learn how to play the game like the Williams sisters. For the left-handed Sidney, that meant learning to play with her right hand.

The cast also includes Jon Bernthal, Aunjanue L. Ellis, Tony Goldwyn and Dylan McDermott.

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Who is Richard Williams?

The father of the Williams sisters was known as a visionary who saw his daughters’ success before anyone else could, which is something Smith admired about the patriarch.

"The first time we talked, I saw a little bit of a flash," the Independence Day actor told Entertainment Weekly in November 2021. "He was one of the most misunderstood people during that time. Nobody got it."

Richard was also an imposing presence, which is why Smith gained weight to play the role. "[He] was a big, athletic man, and I wanted to really capture that strength,” the Hitch actor noted.

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Serena and Venus Williams' Role

The athletes are executive producers on the project, along with their older sister Isha Price. "The interest has always been to keep it 100 percent real," Price told Entertainment Weekly in November 2021.

To keep the film authentic, Price admitted that it needed a bit of a rewrite. "It was so off in terms of [his] personality,” she said.

The Williams family also made sure the biopic paid tribute to not only their patriarch, but also to the bond between sisters. "I love that it captured the innocence — the innocence we still hang on to, actually," Venus told EW ahead of the movie's release, adding, "It's kind of difficult for me to say, 'Oh, this film shows me.' Because ‘me’ is Serena. And there's no me without her, and I could have never done what I've been able to achieve on the court without her. It's so symbiotic."

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The Beyoncé Connection

Beyoncé’s “Be Alive” appeared in an October 2021 trailer for King Richard. Smith told Entertainment Weekly that the “Halo” singer was inspired to contribute the previously unreleased ballad after viewing a screening of the film.

"The marriage of a movie and a song is a kind of magic that's unmatched in entertainment," Smith said in October 2021. "I was so happy when Beyoncé called."

The following month, Beyoncé released a lyric video for “Be Alive,” which featured footage from the film, along with early home videos of Richard Williams and his daughters. The track is featured in the closing credits of the biopic.

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Venus and Serena’s First Reaction to the Film

In November 2021, Smith revealed that he was “terrified” to hear what the sisters thought of King Richard. “They were going to withhold whether or not they put their names on the film until they saw it,” he explained during an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “So, then I get the call that Venus and Serena are walking into the theatre to see the film and … it’s the worst two hours ever.”

Smith hoped they liked it — but they ended up loving it. “Venus and Serena cried all the way through,” he said.