Director of 'King Richard' Says We Can Take "a Page or Two" From Richard Williams' Plan

When we speak of tennis we think of Venus and Serena Williams. In 2000, Venus Williams became the first Black woman since Althea Gibson to win Wimbledon. Between the two sisters, they have won over 100 titles, but where did it all begin? How did they become two of the most influential athletes in the world? Five words. It was their father's dream.

King Richard, which stars Will Smith, tells the story of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, unwavering dream for his daughters to be the greatest tennis players in the world, and the lengths he went to make his dream a reality. With a strong emphasis on the barriers Venus Williams broke and the influence the entire Williams family had on the pursuit of a successful tennis career for both sisters, the film was masterfully executed and will bring to light a different type of Black family dynamic.

We recently spoke with the director of King Richard, Reinaldo Marcus Green, about the perspective of the film, not wanting Will Smith to transform too much into Richard Williams and what fathers can learn from watching the movie.

On why the Williams' sisters chose to tell their story through their father's eyes, Renaldo says:

"I think it was the story they wanted to tell. That was a story that they signed on for. They wanted to honor their father with that. Venus and Serena are pretty young to do a biopic about them. Right now they're currently playing, they have a lot more life to live. And I think there was probably resistance in that way to tell that version of the story. This was a little unknown piece of history. It was a version of things that we didn't know about the family, things for audiences to discover. You go to the movies to have an experience and discover something. And I hope that our film does that. Because I think there's a perception about the Williams family. There's a perception about Richard Williams. But unless you either read his book or dive into it, you won't know those things."

Green says fathers can learn a few things from watching King Richard.

"I think we all can take a page or two out of the plan, which is if you water a plant it's going to grow. And if you don't water it, it's going to die. If you overwater a plant it's going to die. And I think we can all take a lesson out of that. It's a lesson that Richard has to learn in our movie. You can love your daughters to death but you can choke them out. At some point, I have to let go. And vice versa for parents that are not involved in their kids’ lives, have not taken moments to be a part of their lives it will affect them."

Check out the full interview below.

King Richard hits theaters and HBO Max November 19th

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros.