Serena Williams and Venus Williams are two of the most renowned names on the women’s tennis pitch who have won all there is to win in the sport. King Richards, Staring Will Smith, depicts the early life and journey of the two legends and the all-important role of their ever-supporting father, Richard Williams. A very successful film, it was nominated for the 94th Academy Awards and won Will Smith his first-ever Oscar.
Will Smith Punches Chris Rock on Oscars Stage After Jada Pinkett Smith Joke https://t.co/aHWgsKxb9d
— Variety (@Variety) March 28, 2022
The ‘slap’ came in response to a joke made by Chris Rock about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head due to a chronic hair loss problem. Since then, Will Smith has publicly offered an apology. “There’s many nuances and complexities to it, you know, but at the end of the day, I just — I lost it”, Smith said in The Daily Show.
Serena Williams reveals what went through her mind during the Oscar controversy
Serena Williams was speechless when she saw the violent outburst. She immediately took to her Instagram story to share an awestruck jaw. In another video shared moments later, she exclaimed, “I just sat down, because I was like, I gotta put that drink down.”
Though she did not mention anything about approving or disapproving of the action, her awestruck reactions explained her emotions. One of the reasons for her initial silence regarding the morality of the incident could be her vital role in the production and financing of the film. However, a year after the face-off when the film earned over $40 million, she broke her silence and finally commented.
Serena Williams Appears Shocked After Will Smith Strikes Chris Rock at 2022 Oscars https://t.co/sKJ6WegWsl
— People (@people) March 28, 2022
Serena Williams insisted it was just a mistake. The pioneer of women’s tennis enunciated, “I’m the kind of person that’s like, ‘I’ve been there. I’ve made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world. We’re all imperfect, and we’re all human, and let’s just be kind to each other.” This shows that all in all she did not feel disrespected but rather empathized with Will.
The real-life King Richard and the driving force of Serena’s legendary career guarded the reel-life King Richard by saying to Good Morning Britan, “I think he has done the best thing he needed to do, but I would never be disgusted with Mr. Smith. Matter of fact, I appreciate Mr. Smith.” Overall, the incident came as a shock, for both, Serena Williams and her dad, King Richard.