Jane Campion Apologizes to 'Legendary' Serena and Venus Williams for 'Thoughtless' Comment

Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars has garnered a reaction from the father of Venus and Serena Williams, who Smith portrays in "King Richard." According to his son and spokesperson, Richard Williams does not support violence. "We don't know all the details of what happened. But we don't condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it's in self-defense," Richard Williams said via his son, Chavoita LeSane, to NBC News.

Will Smith is an Oscar winner! Following a bit of controversy at Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards, the 53-year-old actor took home the Best Actor statuette for his role as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.

Jane Campion is an Oscar winner once again! During Sunday's 94th Academy Awards, she took home the prize for Best Director for helming, besting Kenneth Branagh (), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (), Paul Thomas Anderson () and Steven Spielberg ().Campion's win marked the first time a woman has taken home the directing statuette in back-to-back years, following Chloé Zhao's win for at last year's ceremony.During her acceptance speech, Campion began in Maori, before sharing,«Big love to my fellow nominees. I love you all, you're all so extraordinary talented.»«I love directing because it's a deep dive into story, yet the task of manifesting can be overwhelming.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams kicked off the show at the Oscars this year!

Serena and Venus Williams are looking spectacular on their big night. The sisters dazzled at the 2022 Oscars on Sunday, where — the film that tells the story of their father, Richard Williams, as he aspires to turn his daughters into professional tennis players — is up for six awards, including Best Picture.The sisters stunned in wildly different looks, with Venus sporting a white gown with chrome details and Serena wearing a pink gown.

stuck her foot in her mouth with her comments about tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams at the Critics’ Choice Awards March 13 — but insiders told The Post she’ll still win an Oscar on Sunday because the Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences is determined to give the award to a woman.“If the director of ‘CODA’ had been nominated, Jane might be in trouble,” said one Oscars voter of female director Sian Heder. “But Sian wasn’t, so Campion’s fine.”Echoed a second voter: “Not giving it to the only woman out of five directors would be a much bigger non-PC statement.”During her acceptance speech for Best Director at Critics’ Choice, Campion noted her admiration for the Williams sisters — who are the subject and producers of the much-nominated “King Richard” — but said that, unlike in their tennis careers, she has had to compete against men.

King Richard, the film’s star and co-producer Will Smith popped by a red carpet for some friendly banter - and, natch, Venus Williams nailed it.  At the Producers Guild Awards last weekend, Venus Williams and Will Smith enjoyed a bit of playful back-and-forth on the red carpet. Take a look below: Will Smith crashes Venus Williams' interview on the #PGAs red carpet.

The Power of The Dog director Jane Campion has apologized to tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, after being called out for a comment she made during her acceptance speech at the Critics Choice Awards.Campion’s speech went viral after the acclaimed director said it was an “honor to be in the room” with the Williams sisters, describing them as “such marvels,” and concluding with, “However, you do not play against the guys like I have to,” referring to the rest of the male fellow nominees.Online users were quick to point out that the speech seemed to be dismissive of the success of Venus and Serena. Now the director has decided to write an apology, explaining that she “made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved.”“I did not intend to devalue these two legendary Black women and world class athletes,” Campion continued, “The fact is the Williams sisters have, actually, squared off against men on the court (and off), and they have both raised the bar and opened doors for what is possible for women in this world.”Campion says that “The last thing” she would ever want to do is “minimize remarkable women,” adding “Their accomplishments are titanic and inspiring.

Jane Campion has issued an apology for a remark she made toward tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams at the Critics' Choice Awards on Sunday that landed her in hot water while accepting her award for best director. "I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved.

Oscar-nominated, multi-award-winning director of The Power of the Dog, apologized on Monday for telling the tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams they “do not play against the guys like I have to”, during an acceptance speech at the Critics Choice Awards (CCA) on Sunday. Related: Jane Campion calls actor Sam Elliott ‘sexist’ for criticizing Power of the Dog In a statement, Campion said: “I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved.

A poor choice of words? Jane Campion is speaking out after her 2022 Critics’ Choice Awards comment about Serena Williams and Venus Williams drew backlash.

Critics Choice Awards.After winning the award for Best Director for The Power Of The Dog at the ceremony on Sunday (March 13), Campion compared her achievements to the Williams sisters during her acceptance speech. The tennis superstars were in the room to support the film King Richard, where Will Smith plays their father Richard Williams.“Venus and Serena, you’re such marvels,” said Campion during her speech. “However, you don’t play against the guys, like I have to.”The comment, while warmly received in the room, was subsequently criticised by many on social media for comparing her struggles to those of two Black women.In a statement released following the backlash (via Variety), Campion said: “I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved.

Jane Campion is walking back on her Critics’ Choice Awards speech.

Jane Campion is apologizing to Venus and Serena Williams after her comments sparked backlash at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards over the weekend.

The Power of the Dog, but her latest statements have sparked a much different reaction. On Sunday, March 13, Campion won the for best director and delivered an acceptance speech that many say minimizes the experience of Black women and athletes. During her speech, the New Zealand director compared herself to tennis legends and , who were at the awards ceremony to support their film King Richard and the film's star , who was awarded best actor for his performance.“It’s absolutely stunning to be here tonight among so many incredible women.