King Richard which was released in November 2021, received gleaming reviews from critics and with awards season officially underway the biopic has already picked up a couple of awards. Will Smith, who has been a five-time Golden Globe nominee, is now a winner of the award in the Best Actor category. Smith took home the Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama award on Sunday for his powerful performance in King Richard.
Last year during the global press conference, Smith opened up about just how honored he was to portray Serena and Venus’ father in the film and admitted Richard was someone he fell in love with because of how he protected his daughters.
“I fell in love with Richard Williams—that was 20 something years ago and when the opportunity to be a part of this came up that was the first thing that I remembered. I knew I wanted to show a father protecting a daughter like that to the world,” he said.
The 53-year-old Smith was first nominated for a Golden Globe back in 1993 and again in 1994 for Best Actor in a TV series for his iconic role in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The actor prevailed against an impressive group to capture his first prestigious accolade which included, Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth).
Smith isn’t the only actor in the film that took home an award over the weekend. Saniyya Sidney who plays Venus, won Best Performance By a Young Actor and she’s also received a nomination for Best Young Actor at the Critics Choice Awards. The film was up for six awards in total at the Critics Choice Awards.
Currently, King Richard boasts a spectacular 90 percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with many commending the performances of both Smith and Sidney. With the Academy Awards approaching, the nominees will be announced on February 8.
