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Hollywood star Will Smith won best actor at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards for his performance in the biopic King Richard, where he played the role of tennis legend and Serena and Venus Williams' father, Richard Williams. Venus and Serena were also present at the award ceremony along with their sister and mother.
While accepting his award, Smith made a moving speech that drew Venus and Serena's mother to tears and made the other guests emotional too. He said,
"I am here tonight with Venus and Serena [Williams] and their sister Isha. And I really just want to say to all of you, thank you for entrusting me with your story. What you were able to do, and what your family was able to do, inspired everyone in this room, everyone in this country and everyone around the world."
Smith then went on to address and congratulate the Williams sisters' mother, Oracene Price, who has been a supporting pillar and played an empirical role in the success of the Williams sisters. Smith said,
"And I love that we were able to show what your mother did to help create and mold and shape your family, and be able to show to the world the power of faith, the power of unity, the power of family, the power of discipline."
Will Smith went on to congratulate Aunjanue Ellis, who played Oracene in the film, acknowledging that he would not have been able to successfully play his role if it wasn't for Ellis.
More about Will Smith and his biopic King Richard
Willard Carroll Smith II, aka Will Smith, is a renowned Hollywood artist known for his defining roles in many commercially successful action thrillers. Smith bagged his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for portraying Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) and gained his second Academy Award nomination for portraying Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).
Will Smith's latest project, King Richard (2021), was critically acclaimed, winning Smith the British Academy Film Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award, and Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor. The star also received his third Academy Award nomination for the role.
King Richard follows the story of Venus and Serena Williams through the eyes of their mentor and father Richard Williams, who drafted a "plan" of success for his daughters. The film follows Richard and his faith in his two daughters as he hustles to get them a decent life and proper training to realize what he believes they were meant to become - two legendary tennis champions.
Catch the sports biopic charting the careers of Venus and Serena Williams through the eyes of their father, Richard Williams, in King Richard, which is available for streaming on HBO Max.
