Serena Williams describes 'King Richard' film as "surreal", urges young girls to dream big and "set high goals"
In the first official press conference conducted to promote 'King Richard', the upcoming biopic on Venus and Serena Williams' father, the Williams sisters spoke about the film's conceptualisation and their experiences on-set.
Serena Williams said it felt "surreal" to have a film based on her childhood and family. The 23-time Grand Slam champion also heaped praise on Will Smith for his portrayal of her father and for taking the film to a "whole new level".
"No word describes it better than just surreal," Serena Williams said, "it's just to see these incredible actresses and everyone behind it putting this all together. And then to have Will play this role as my father and the way he embodied Richard Williams, it took the whole film to a whole new level. It's so emotional, it's well done and it's a brilliant piece of work."
Sports icons Venus & Serena Williams visit the set of #KingRichard, where they share heartwarming stories and laughs with Will Smith and cast. Based on the true story of the greatest tennis legends of all time, see it in theaters and streaming exclusively on @HBOMax* November 19. https://t.co/HecBNVPhzp
Venus and Serena Williams were also asked to give some advice to young girls around the world. Venus emphasized that anything is possible with self-belief and determination. She also highlighted the significance of a loving family, saying it pushes people to achieve greater things in life.
"Anything is possible and to always believe in yourself, never doubt," said Venus Williams. "Doubt does nothing for you. What I really loved about is that it's a family film and if you don't even understand tennis you understand family and surrounding yourself with family can take you higher."
Serena Williams concurred with her sister and said people shouldn't be afraid to dream big and set ambitious goals.
"Venus put it perfectly, you just really do have to ultimately believe in yourself and anything is possible. It's not too high if you set your goals at the sky, the sky is literally the limit so don't be afraid to set high goals," Serena Williams advised.
Venus and Serena Williams are two women that I've looked up to my entire life: Actress Demi Singleton
During the media interaction, Demi Singleton, the actress who played the role of 23-time Major champion Serena Williams, shared her experience of meeting the iconic sisters for the first time.
She recalled the day Venus and Serena Williams made a surprise visit to the set and revealed that the sisters spoke about everything apart from tennis, including the people they dated growing up.
"The first time I got to speak with Serena was when she and Venus surprised us on set," Demi Singleton said. "That was such a fun day, they kind of spoke to us about everything but tennis which was actually kind of funny. We spoke about their life, their childhood and about the people that they dated growing up."
Singleton said she enjoyed interacting with the two sisters, whom she idolized growing up.
"It was just a cool conversation and we just got to speak to them as people you know. Serena and Venus, you guys are two women that I've looked up to my entire life so it was really fun to get to know that side of you," she added.