Will Smith’sportrayal of Richard Williams is motivational and astounding, further etching his legacy far beyond pre-existing generational barriers. Determined to do anything he possibly can to assist his young daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) Williams, to be the best in their respective tennis careers,King Richarddisputes the long-standing, negative representation of Black fathers in cinematography as a whole.
To begin, Black males have historically been openly stereotyped as deadbeats, non-existent, and abusive figures not only incinema but throughout mainstream mediaaltogether. Current stereotypes paint Black male authority figures as drug dealers, thieves, or ruthless murderers. For Black females, the label as angry Black woman, the silent domestic housewife who endures abuse at the hands of her husband, or the teen mom who is predicted to go on a journey filled with heartache and socioeconomic issues plague our community.
Additionally, for Black females, the centralized message alluding to, “only if this poor young girl had her father in her life, she wouldn’t have made the countless mistakes that she did” is both incentive and couldn’t be more wrong or disparaging. The biopic, revolving around the early years of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, not only flashes back, portraying their hard-working roads to stardom, but it additionally exemplifies the limitless love and allegiance that their father Richard had for his girls, as he provided them with an overabundance of athletic resources.
King Richarddemonstrates that Black fathers are neither negative nor absent figures in the lives of their offspring. It also shows how Black men indeed support the goals of their children, making it a point to aid them in crafting their skills. Throughout this analysis ofKing Richard andthe character of Richard Williams, we illustrate how the film brings noticeto the image of Black fatherhoodin America that has rarely been shown throughout previously acclaimed projects.
Black Men Do Take Part In The Lives Of Their Children
It’s sad that this fact has to be reiterated in the first place, and quite frankly, it’s harrowing that Black fathers have to disassociate themselves from this narrative. AsKing Richardtells the story of the Williams family, through the lens of their father, he fights through financial and social adversities to provide Venus and Serena with the chance to play tennis on a professional main stage, in a sport traditionally dominated by white athletes, especially at such a young age.
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Working a full-time job as a night security guard to take care of his family (as his wife takes the day shift at her nursing position), Richard religiously trains Venus and Serena during the day while also placing emphasis around his children thriving in school, having fun and experiencing downtime with their siblings, being kids first. Richard Williams is often shown in the film as shielding his group of girls from early and fierce media scrutiny. He builds his five daughters up to be the best that they could possibly be (athletes, doctors, lawyers), all while demonstrating to them that their dad has their best interest at heart and will protect them, even if that means he has to suffer the consequences.
Through Excessive Hardships, Richard Never Gives Up On His Girls
Whether Venus or Serena won or lost a match, their dad was always there in their corner, being a dad first. As a viewer, it’s refreshing to see how Richard strives to protect his children from the possibility of mentally becoming drained while in the professional world of tennis. Through various examples in the picture, we can see other female teenagers who rank as the best in their sport, just for them to face mental and physical health challenges. This result comes from the pressure of living under a vast amount of praise and criticism and still being a child. Richard wants his daughters to navigate away from these pressures, even if it means pulling them from competitive matches.
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Looking back on the story of Richard, Venus, and Serena Williams, it’s refreshing to see the layers of humor and the willingness to be vulnerable by all three characters throughout the film. For Richard, his authenticity and unwavering commitment to his girls captures the essence of how strongly he believed his daughters would go far in the sport, also at early points when no one else would take a chance on them. He also sustains that dream by pushing his daughters further but not burning them out.
No other person could have done this rolebetter than Will Smith. His heightened level of dedication to the character is insane. Even as he was on set, he still kept acting out the accent and postures of Richard. The fact that it was so easy for him to adapt while in this role speaks volumes to his skills as an artist.
