Watch: Jon Bernthal shares what Serena Williams told him about Rick Macci
Hollywood actor Jon Bernthal, who played the role of Rick Macci in King Richard, recently revealed that Serena Williams confided in him about her experiences working with the renowned coach. Williams reportedly told Bernthal that training under Macci was among the most fun she has ever had.
Bernthal appeared on the ABC network's Good Morning America, a morning television program, to promote the movie. While on the show, he touched on the steps he undertook to portray eminent tennis coach Rick Macci as sincerely as he could.
Jon Bernthal, who plays Serena and Venus Williams' coach in the new film #KingRichard, also learned how to play tennis for the role. gma.abc/30COWCk
One of those involved talking to people who have worked with Macci in the past, including former World No. 1 Serena Williams. The renowned coach also guided former World No. 1s Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. Macci also coached both Serena and Venus Williams when they were growing up.
Bernthal noted that everyone who talked about Macci had only good things to say about him, calling their time with the coach one of the most fun periods of their life.
"Everybody who talked about Rick Macci, including Serena Williams, the first thing they said is, 'It was among the funnest times in their lives. Just playing for Rick was fun,'" Bernthal said.
The 45-year-old also elaborated on the training he underwent to perfect the tennis scenes in the movie. In addition to getting advice on how to play tennis, he also received tips on how to act as a tennis coach to have his portrayal come across as authentic.
"It was really important to get the tennis right. I trained not only in playing tennis but I also got to coach a Top-50 junior national player," Bernthal said. "I am really grateful for that. I really think we got the tennis right."
"Rick Macci was really happy with how he was portrayed" - Jon Bernthal
Jon Bernthal also disclosed that Rick Macci called him after he saw the movie. Bernthal added that it meant a great deal to him to have Macci personally tell him how delighted he was at the way he was portrayed on screen.
"Rick Macci saw the movie. He reached out and he was really happy with my performance and how he was portrayed," Bernthal said. "It really meant a lot to me."
Bernthal stated that the hardest part of getting into the role of Macci was getting his voice right. Macci's Ohio accent took extensive training to perfect and was the most difficult thing for Bernthal to nail.
"I really wanted to portray the real Rick Macci," Bernthal said. "I trained in getting his voice - the pitch of his voice and the unbelievably specific dialect from where he was from. I really wanted to get that right."
King Richard has been praised by numerous critics and has also received multiple nominations in different categories at the Golden Globe awards.
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