The Will Smith Award-Winning True Story Everyone Forgot
After two prior nominations, Will Smith would finally nab the Academy Award for Best Actor with his performance in Reinaldo Marcus Green’s 2021 drama, King Richard. But as anyone who tuned in that night for the Oscar ceremonies will know, the actor’s outburst of anger will forever overshadow his big moment or the acceptance speech to follow. Still, for those interested in seeing what led to Smith’s long-time-coming acknowledgment, King Richard is now streaming on Peacock.
The Life Of Richard Williams
Before we dig into that jaw-dropping moment at the annual award ceremony, let’s dive into Will Smith’s portrayal of the titular character of King Richard. The movie serves as a biographical feature that showcases the life of Richard Williams, the father of superstar tennis-playing sisters Venus and Serena Williams. Along with being their parent, Richard Williams was also the siblings’ coach, helping them achieve the revered status they’re both so well known for in the sport.
Raising Venus And Serena
From a very young age, both Venus and Serena showed incredible promise on the tennis court, something that was immediately clear to their father. Will Smith’s portrayal of King Richard’s leading character shows the dedicated and devoted father doing everything he can to ensure that his children receive the best training and rise through the ranks of athletes in California. Even with the odds stacked against them, the family sticks together to give the girls the life they deserve, competing in the sport that they love.
The Rest Of The Cast
Along with Will Smith, King Richard also featured performances from Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Justified: City Primeval) as Serena and Venus’s mother, Oracene “Brandy” Price, and Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) as the sisters’ trainer and ex-tennis pro, Rick Macci. Up-and-coming actresses Saniyya Sidney (American Horror Story: Roanoke) and Demi Singleton (Lawmen: Bass Reeves) appeared in the biopic as the blossoming tennis players themselves, Venus and Serena Williams, respectively.
Critical Hit But Box Office Bust
The feature served as the feature-length screenwriting debut for Zach Baylin, who, like Will Smith, would also receive an Oscar nod for his work on King Richard. Since his time cranking out the dialogue to the critically-praised film, Baylin has enjoyed plenty of success, having gone on to pen other titles like Creed III and the upcoming Rupert Sanders-helmed reimagining of The Crow. Serving as the scribe for King Richard must have bit Baylin with the biopic bug as he’s also the man behind the screenplays for Gran Turismo and Bob Marley: One Love.
Although Will Smith and the rest of the team involved in bringing King Richard to the big screen received heaps of critical praise, the movie was largely a bust at the box office. When all was said and done, the film only managed to earn $39.4 million, undershooting its production cost of $50 million.
Streaming Now On Peacock
Set up to win big during that year’s award circuit, Marcus Reinaldo Green’s beloved biopic was up for a whopping six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Sadly, Will Smith was the only person who would go home with a trophy for King Richard, an unfortunate thing considering the actor’s straight-up assault of comedian Chris Rock shortly before his name was announced as the winner. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum was upset about a joke the comedian told at the expense of Smith’s wife, so he resorted to walking up on stage and slapping him for the world to see.
Obviously, the next day, the headlines centered around Will Smith’s physical attack on Chris Rock rather than the actor’s big win for King Richard. Still, if you’re interested in seeing the movie that got him there, King Richard is now streaming on Peacock.
