King Richard actor Will Smith its that he is surprised by the film's nominations and the sheer number of people who enjoyed the movie. King Richard tells the true story of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams' rise to success after coaching from their father Richard (Smith). The film is helmed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, and since its release in November of 2021, King Richard has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, as well as six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, and a Best Actor nod for Smith.
King Richard has not only been receiving Oscar love, however. The film has been nominated for many different big film awards, with Smith in particular taking home a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for his performance as Richard Williams. Most recently, Smith's performance has also been honored with the Best Actor award at the 2022 National Board of Review gala. It is certainly not hard to imagine Smith being a top contender for the Oscar this year.
While on the red carpet at the National Board of Review gala, Smith spoke to King Richard's reception. For Smith, his biggest surprise, aside from how many awards he is winning, is "how unanimous the reaction is to the film." Smith is right, of course. Looking through reviews for King Richard, one would be hard pressed to find any that are overwhelmingly negative. Smith has stated that the sheer number of people who "agree that it's a good movie" is very surprising to him. See his full quote below:
"I guess the biggest surprise so far for me with this film is how unanimous the reaction is to the film. I've made 30 years' worth of movies and there's never been this kind of blanket agreement that it's a good movie. I've made things that, I would read opposing reviews and I'm like, 'Did they even look at the same movie?' you know, with Ali and with The Pursuit of Happyness. Just how many people agree that it's a good movie is a big surprise for me."
This is not to say Smith thinks King Richard is bad in any way. The point he's making is it's a bit of an outlier in his overall filmography. Despite Smith's star power, responses to his movies are all over the spectrum. Recent outings like Gemini Man and Aladdin received mixed-to-negative reviews. Even better-received projects like I Am Legend and The Pursuit of Happyness (for which he earned an Oscar nomination) fell short of the type of widespread praise Smith was likely hoping for. King Richard is a critical darling, with Smith positioned as the Best Actor frontrunner. It's nice to see Smith be able to bask in unanimous acclaim, and it will be interesting to see if King Richard's success influences the choices he makes moving forward.
With even Smith surprised at how well reviewed the film is, it's no wonder that the actor is finding himself cleaning up at every awards ceremony. King Richard has certainly come at an opportune time. A film about the struggles of Black athletes rising to success is particularly poignant in today's social climate, and with the film as well made as everyone agrees it is, it is certainly hitting home for many people. All that's left for fans of the film to do is wait and see what Oscar night will bring for King Richard.
Source: People
