"One thing that didn't make the film is that I had to beat my dad before I was allowed to play junior tournament" - Venus Williams on the artistic changes made for 'King Richard'
Venus Williams revealed her thoughts on 'King Richard' in a recent interview, where she also pointed out the artistic liberties taken by the movie's director Reinaldo Marnus Green to make the film more exciting to viewers.
In a video she uploaded to her official YouTube channel, the American opened up about her thoughts on the award-winning biopic based on her father Richard Williams.
Before she got into the specifics, the former World No. 1 made it clear that the movie was more true to life than fans thought it was, hailing it as the major reason why her family was "so special."
"There's a lot of fiction out there, so many movies that are amazing too without it being a real life story memoir, but [King Richard] is definitely true to life. It's definitely my family's experience and definitely my experience and on the court and off the court and that's what made it so special is about my whole family," Venus Williams said. "Not just my dad, not just me, not just Serena, it was about the whole family and anyone who has family will relate to that so some examples of some true life things."
"That may have been one of the greatest moments of my career just now. Because my name was called for "King Richard" sitting next to Venus Williams." #SAGAwards https://t.co/1tDpPdF6iu
One of the many examples the seven-time Grand Slam champion brought up was a scene where she and her father had a quarrel about whether she should start playing junior tennis or not. According to Venus Williams, she had to beat her father in real life in a tennis match before she could have her way and go compete in tennis tournaments.
"Some examples of some things that were true to life, so first of all there's this whole scene where my dad, you know, I'm about to play junior tennis and my dad isn't sure if I should play so in real life. One thing that didn't make the film is that I had to beat my dad before I was allowed to play junior tournament," Venus Williams said.
Saniyya Sidney (who played Venus Williams in 'King Richard') calls Williams her hero: She's the one who created her own door and then opened it wide for little girls like me bit.ly/3MVyOya https://t.co/ghAqjvw6do
The 41-year-old conceded that it was a good decision on the director's part to leave the moment out of the movie, since it was impossible to keep every little bit of backstory in a film with limited screentime.
"So this is like even more backstory that like you can't put everything in the film so I had to beat my dad before I got to play a junior tournament, that was always the rule. Like when I got to beat him I got to play a tournament because i was really wanting to play tournaments," Venus Williams added.
"I remember when it happened I think it happened much sooner than he expected" - Venus Williams on the moment she finally beat her father in a tennis match
Venus Williams also recalled the exact moment when she defeated her father Richard Williams in a tennis match during the interview. The former World No. 1 jokingly remarked that it must have been quite a surprise for him, since she finally managed to best him when she was just eight years old.
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The movie is based on Richard Williams, the father of tennis champions, Serena and Venus Williams. https://t.co/PhekVwxKFt
However, the seven-time Grand Slam champion revealed that her father went back on the deal, much to her disappointment.
"So I remember like we were at a park in Long Beach one night because we trained into the night too and I remember when it happened I think it happened much sooner than he expected," Venus Williams said. "I think I was like eight years old maybe and so I was like, "Okay, yes I get to play." Guess what? He's like, "No, not yet" and I'm like, "Wait a minute. That was a rule you made up and I just did it."
The 41-year-old stated that she had to wait another year to finally be allowed to play junior tournaments, in direct contrast to what was shown in the movie. The American was therefore glad that the situation was resolved in the way that it was in the movie, since it lent itself to a more satisfying on-screen moment.
"I had to wait at least one more year before he let me play tournaments so in the movie we talk about like this whole process of like me being allowed to play a tournament and finally it happens and I'm so happy with my take on the film," Venus Williams said.