They wanted their father, particularly, to be a fully realized character and to show it all.” As for any sanding-off of their father’s rougher edges, he adds that “to the Williams’ family credit, that was never anything they tried to do. The “little moments of detail” on offer from the sisters “provided a level of intimacy and detail, and was absolutely necessary and hugely beneficial to bring authenticity to the script,” he says. The biopic is an authorized one, exec produced by the Williams sisters alongside their sister Isha Price a bind that usually serves as both a blessing and a curse.įor Baylin, it was definitely more the former. “As I dug into what Richard really had to go through, I really felt it was one of those moments where suddenly there was a story that was so big and so urgent.” “I had a 4-year-old daughter at the time and I wanted to write something about parenting, and huge ambition,” says scribe Baylin, making his debut feature.
Smith plays the titular Richard Williams, father to world-beating tennis stars Venus and Serena, in a film that explores the trials he faced positioning his daughters for a shot at glory. Tennis biopic “King Richard” earned rave reviews at its Telluride Film Festival premiere this year, with critics singling out Will Smith as a frontrunner to score what would be his third Oscar nomination for lead actor.
