The iconic Venus Williams interview that is recreated in King Richard sends chills up our spine!
In the classic 1995 video, Richard Williams shuts down a white interviewer after he questioned a then-14-year-old Venus about being confident just moments after she made the decision to compete in tennis professionally.
The interview was done with John McKenzie for ABC News’ Day One and now is portrayed in the new film where Will Smith steps into the shoes of Richard and Saniyya Sidney morphs into a young Venus Williams.
Watch below:
“You’re dealing with a little black kid and her confidence let her be, leave her alone!”
When Richard Williams schooled a journalist on how to interview his daughter Venus
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 3, 2020
After Venus answered the question posed by McKenzie about whether or not she could beat her older opponent without missing a beat, he questioned her surefooted response before Richard jumped in to interject.
“You’ve got to understand that you’re dealing with an image of a 14-year-old child. And this child gonna be out there playing when your old a** and me gonna be in the grave,” said Richard in the clip. “When she say something, we done told you what’s happening. You’re dealing with a little Black kid, and let her be a kid. She done answered it with a lot of confidence. Leave that alone!”
Watch 'King Richard' footage, interpolated with the real interview:
@enstarz.officialREAL LIFE VS. WILL SMITH #KingRichard #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #venuswilliams #serenawilliams #enstarznews #entertainmentnews #popculture @Will Smith♬ Monsters, Inc – Gustav Lundgren & Unit
King Richard explores the journey that began way before Venus and Serena Williams were even born when their father was inspired to create the next tennis stars after watching Romanian tennis champion Virginia Ruzic during a match on television
From there, Richard devised a 78-page plan to turn his daughters into the greatest tennis stars that the world has ever seen.
Obviously, not only did the plan work, but Venus and Serena Williams did not only become the world’s greatest tennis stars but inspired a generation of little girls who looked like them to play a sport that before their arrival had been dominated by white people.
Since the iconic interview, Venus has gone on to win seven Grand Slam singles tournaments, 14 Grand Slam doubles tournaments alongside her baby sister Serena, and four Olympic Gold medals. Serena has won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other woman or man during the open era and holds three doubles gold medals at the Olympics.
King Richard now playing in theaters and available for streaming on HBO Max.
