Will Smith in 'finals talks' to portray Williams sisters’ father despite being 'too light-skinned'
Hollywood star Will Smith is reportedly in final talks with Warner Bros. to play Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams in a biopic, despite critics saying he is “too light-skinned” for the part.
Warner Bros. is reportedly in the final negotiations to acquire “King Richard,” a sports drama which centers on the life of Richard Williams, who was forced to overcome hardship to start training his daughters despite not having any background in tennis.
Based on a script by Zach Baylin, the movie concentrates on the sisters’ father rather than on the world famous tennis players who have won 30 Grand Slams between them.
Also on rt.com Will Smith ‘not black enough’ for role as father of Williams tennis sisters in new biopicIt focuses on Williams’ attempts to coach his daughters to the pinnacle of tennis, starting with him bringing the young Venus and younger sibling Serena to the courts of Compton, California.
However, the news of Smith's selection for the role immediately drew a backlash after the 50-year-old Oscar-nominated actor, who starred in the Men in Black film series, was deemed by critics as unsuitable because his skin tone is several shades lighter than Richard Williams.
Colorism matters..love will Smith but there are other black actors for this role https://t.co/qrV1QuBiJH
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) March 5, 2019
Why couldn’t they get someone like Idris Alba to play Venus’ and Serena’s dad in the upcoming movie? Why are they whitewashing the dad with Will Smith. 🌚 colourism is constantly subconsciously fed to us and we just eat it up...
— Uncomplet_d (@TrillaKilla007) March 5, 2019
Why is he always cast in roles portraying dark skin men like there aren’t tons of black actors that would make more sense for the role? https://t.co/1VcZyCmwTK
— Pikliz Papi (@so_rudez) March 5, 2019
Smith, who earned his first Oscar nomination for his role as boxing great Muhammad Ali in another sporting biopic, has not yet commented on the comments surrounding the role nor has he officially confirmed his participation in the movie.
In 2016, he and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, joined the #OscarsSoWhite movement and boycotted the Academy Awards after black actors were left out of Oscar nominations in four acting categories for the second consecutive awards ceremony.
