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Home · Entertainment

The Stars Of 'King Richard' Talk About The Beauty Of Showing Black Girlhood On Screen

To be a human on screen without having to worry about the adultification of young Black women is all I ever wanted, says Mikayla Bartholomew who plays Venus and Serena's sister Tunde in the film.
By Brande Victorian · Updated November 16, 2021

While the upcoming release King Richard is centered around Richard Williams, the father of tennis pros Venus and Serena Williams, the movie is as much about their lives as it is his. Speaking to the film’s exploration of Williams’ plan (at which he succeeded) to make his daughters two of the greatest athletes in the world, Serena told us of the movie on the red carpet premiere during AFI Fest Sunday night, “It’s also a girl power story.”

That fact makes the film’s depiction of the African American family — within which there were five young Black girls — all the more powerful. Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton play Venus and Serena while Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Daniele Lawson, and Layla Crawford play sisters Tunde, Isha, and Lyndrea, respectively.

The Stars Of ‘King Richard’ Talk About The Beauty Of Showing Black Girlhood On Screen
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 14: (L-R) Demi Singleton, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Saniyya Sidney attend the closing night premiere of Warner Bros’ ‘King Richard’ at the 2021 AFI Fest at TCL Chinese Theatre on November 14, 2021 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Holding back tears, Bartholomew shared what the chance to play such a character in her debut movie role meant to her personally.

“To be a human on screen without having to worry about the adultification of young Black women, about the fact that we’re so often asked to make ourselves fit into the mold, to make ourselves smaller, to shrink, to assimilate, to be nice,” she said, “it’s all I ever wanted. It’s why I do what I do.”

The Stars Of ‘King Richard’ Talk About The Beauty Of Showing Black Girlhood On Screen
Hollywood, CA – November 14: Director Reinaldo Marcus Green, Mikayla Bartholomew, Daniele Lawson, Layla Crawfordf and Will Smith, from left, on red carpet of the 2021 AFI Fest Gala Premiere of, King Richard, at the TCL Chinese Theatre, in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021. The film tells the story of Richard Williams, portrayed by Will Smith, and his raising of daughters Venus and Serena into the tennis champions they have become. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The influence of the Williams sisters’ mother, Oracene Brandy Price, on not only their development of character but also their career is also shown through the performance of Aunjanue Ellis, who shared with us the significance of shedding a light on her in the movie.

“I wanted the world to know who Miss Oracene Price is and who she was,” Ellis said. “She was central to the development of the play of the Williams’ sisters, particularly Serena, and I wanted the world to know that. And how many more movies are we going to have where we get to do that?”

Check out our interviews with the cast in the video above. King Richard will be released in theaters November 19.

TOPICS:  king richard Serena Williams Venus Williams Will Smith

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