For 'King Richard,' Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis serve a nuanced look at Black life and love
Richard and Oracene Williams, parents of future tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, are having a fight in the kitchen of their spacious Florida rental home.
Richard is adamant that Venus needs to have as normal a childhood as she can when she's not training. Oracene supports her husband, but she also lets him know — with devastatingly clear-eyed delivery — how his self-righteousness prevents him from really hearing what his daughters, and his family, need.
It's a scene that gets to the heart of Reinaldo Marcus Green's biopic "King Richard," starring Will Smith as the charismatic but controlling Richard and Aunjanue Ellis as the more reserved but equally formidable Oracene. And the staging reveals how deeply embedded the two veteran actors were in their real-life roles.
"It's funny because it was supposed to happen anywhere else except the kitchen," said Green over Zoom. "[The crew] had designed the house, but the kitchen was a no-fly zone because we didn't have it period-correct. And of course when the actors came in, the first thing they do is go to the kitchen. It was like 'forget production design at this point, it's an amazing moment.' We'll figure it out in post."
"Rei was like, 'OK, wherever ya'll go, I'll just keep following,'" said Smith with a laugh.
It's also a moment that reaffirms the Warner Bros. release, in theaters and on HBO Max beginning Friday, is fully invested in shining
