16 Times "King Richard" Showed The Amazing Reality Of How Venus And Serena's Father Planned For Success
The new biopic King Richard chronicles the early years of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams as their father Richard Williams guided them to becoming two of the most dominant sports players in history.
Will Smith portrays Richard in the film, which is already earning him Oscar buzz for his captivating performance. These are some moments that showcase how Smith’s portrayal of Richard reveals the methods he used that helped his daughters reach success.
1.When Richard writes a 78-page outline of how he will lead Venus and Serena to become champion tennis players:
The movie displays how Richard saw 1978 French Open tournament winner Virginia Ruzici earn $40,000 for a tournament victory and then decided to have two daughters and train them to become tennis stars. He drafts a 78-page document with a plan to make them the greatest tennis players in the world. This manual, which Richard actually wrote in real life, guided him as he trained Venus and Serena.
2.When Richard visits private tennis clubs and approaches top coaches about training his daughters:
The film opens with Richard’s visits to various wealthy country clubs, where he speaks to tennis coaches about his daughters’ tennis skills and hopes of playing professionally. The coaches are all dismissive of the idea of helping Venus and Serena, but Richard remains determined to get his daughters a coach.
3.When Richard continues training Venus and Serena despite threats from Compton gang members:
A group of local gang members in the family’s rough neighborhood of Compton, California sexually harass 16-year-old Yetunde Price, the older half-sister of Venus and Serena, while she watches her sisters practice tennis at their local park. After the practice session, Richard confronts the group and is struck to the ground and beaten by the man who has harassed Yetunde. He later is again attacked by the gang, but he continues to train his daughters at the park to advance their tennis skills.
4.When Richard reminds the girls of the power of planning your path:
While they practice tennis in Compton, Richard and the girls post motivational signs on the wall of the court that say, “You Are A Winner!” and “If You Fail To Plan, You Plan To Fail.” In a later scene, when the family has moved into a house in Florida while Venus and Serena are being trained, the same phrase is seen on one of their kitchen fridge magnets. This reminder is there to show the girls that their preparation and planning will ultimately lead to a successful outcome.
5.When Richard drives Venus and Serena by their dream homes and talks to them about their potential:
On the way to a tennis club, Richard, Venus, and Serena pass a neighborhood of large homes. They speak of their admiration of these mansions, and Richard says that one day they’ll be in the position to buy any house they want.
“The most strongest, the most powerful, the most dangerous creature on this whole earth is a woman who know how to think. Ain’t nothing she can’t do,” Richard tells them.
6.When Richard convinces tennis coach Paul Cohen to coach Venus:
During the film, Richard takes Venus and Serena to see coach Paul Cohen for a meeting. Cohen is conducting a training session with John McEnroe and Pete Sampras at the time, and initially turns Richard down when he suggests watching the girls play to assess their skills. Richard eventually wears Cohen down, who quickly recognizes the girls’ talent when he sees them on the court. He then agrees to coach Venus for free as she begins her career in juniors tennis. “One day, they gonna be bragging about the time they met the two of you,” Richard says to young Venus and Serena as they watch McEnroe and Sampras practice.
7.When Richard doesn’t call out a juniors tennis opponent who cheats while playing against Venus:
Venus’s real-life juniors tennis career consisted of a flawless 63-0 record, but it wasn’t met without difficulty from her competition. At the urging of the girl’s father, one scene shows an opponent intentionally making an inaccurate call against Venus to gain a point in her favor. Richard and the family are aware the girl is cheating, but Richard doesn’t say anything to the player or her father. Instead, he tells Venus to continue to have fun and do her best. Venus then goes on to win the match in spite of her opponent’s deceit.
8.When Richard declines an offer from condescending agents who propose a deal to Venus:
Paul Cohen later brings in top tennis agents to meet with Richard, who is unimpressed with their proposal and attitudes. They pressure Richard into signing with them and offer resources to help the family pay their expenses. They also arrogantly express amazement that Richard was able to get Venus in her top tennis position due to his race and their financial situation. Richard declines this deal and later signs with coach Rick Macci, who pays for the family’s housing, schooling, and other costs while he trains Venus and Serena in Florida.
9.When Richard explains his parenting after he’s accused of being too disciplined with his kids:
After a neighbor calls the authorities on Richard for keeping his children on a tight regimen, they visit their home to investigate. Richard defends his way of raising the kids and explains that his parenting is keeping them away from dangerous situations in the streets of Compton.
“That’s our job, to keep them off these streets. You wanna arrest us for that? Fine, but what you not gonna never do is come knock on this door, talking bout you had to blow they damn brains out in them streets cuz they running with hoodlums and doing drugs and things, that’s what you not never gonna say in this house,” Richard explains.
10.When Richard stops an interviewer from quizzing Venus on her confidence:
Based on a real-life moment from 1995, Richard confronts an interviewer who continues to question Venus’s self-assurance about her tennis abilities. When the interviewer asks whether Venus believes she could beat an opponent, she says she knows she can. As the interviewer pries into why Venus is displaying such confidence, Richard steps in to halt further questioning. “You’re dealing with the image of a 14-year-old child,” Richard says. “You are dealing with a little black kid. Let her be a kid. Now she done answered it with a lot of confidence. Leave that alone!”
11.When Richard shows the family Cinderella for a lesson in humility:
After a scene in which the Williams sisters gloat over a tournament win by Venus, Richard shows the family the film Cinderella. He asks what the movie taught them and reveals that the overall takeaway of the film is how Cinderella remained grounded throughout her journey. Here, Richard teaches his children the importance of staying grounded, regardless of the place they are at in life. “She stayed calm. She kept her heart clean. She was humble,” he says.
12.When the girls practice their tennis skills with Richard in the rain:
Even intense weather conditions won’t keep Richard from bringing Venus and Serena to play, as he takes them to practice at their park’s tennis courts during heavy rainfall. He informs them of how the weather will impact the weight of the tennis ball, and the girls learn how to play through any outside conditions.
13.When Richard makes sure that Venus has time to be a kid while training to play tennis professionally:
In an unheard move in the world of competitive tennis, Richard decides that Venus will withdraw from the juniors tennis league and practice while attending school. Venus then trains with coach Rick Macci without playing a match for over three years before beginning professional tennis at age 14. Instead of overworking Venus and adding pressure, Richard gives her a balance between tennis and other areas of her life, which instills in her a greater hunger to enter the professional tennis world.
14.When Venus is presented with a $3 million dollar Nike deal and Richard lets her choose whether to sign it or not:
Venus is offered $3 million for an endorsement deal with Nike, although they have not yet watched her tournament debut. A Nike representative tells Venus, however, that she must sign the deal by the end of the night or it will no longer be valid. Richard lets Venus make the call on whether or not to sign, and she declines, as she wants to first have a chance to show her skills professionally before entertaining a contract deal. She later signs a deal with Reebok for $12 million.
15.When Richard tells Serena of her destiny:
Prior to Venus playing in a professional tournament match, Serena looks at the tournament court longingly. Richard then explains that, while Venus will become number one in the world, Serena will one day “be the best there ever was.” “You gonna be the greatest of all time,” Richard says to young Serena. “I know you was having a hard time in Venus’s shadow. But I kept you there 'cause I knew you was rough. I knew you was tough. I knew you was a fighter.”
16.When Richard encourages Venus after a tough loss:
In her first professional tennis competition, 14-year-old Venus makes it to the final round of her tournament. When Venus is up one set and gaining momentum in the match, her opposition, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, intentionally takes a lengthy bathroom break to ice Venus’s game. Vicario goes on to win the match, but Richard and Oracene remain supportive after this moment. “I have never been more proud of a person in my whole life,” Richard says to Venus.
King Richard is out in select theaters now and is available for streaming on HBO Max.