Will Smith’s possible new role as Venus and Serena Williams’ dad sparks debate about colorism
Will Smith could be heading to the big screen as Venus and Serena Williams’ father, but the possible casting has sparked a colorism debate on Twitter.
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Earlier this week, Deadline announced the star is poised to play Richard Williams, the tennis stars' dad, in an upcoming flick titled "King Richard."
According to the entertainment site, the film will chronicle the tennis coach’s life, including his dedication to raising sports champions amid adversity.
Nothing is official yet, but people shared their thoughts about Smith as the front-runner for the role on Twitter. Several said the part should go to a darker-skinned actor.
Colorism matters..love will Smith but there are other black actors for this role https://t.co/qrV1QuBiJH
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) March 5, 2019
Why is he always cast in roles portraying dark skin men like there aren’t tons of black actors that would make more sense for the role? https://t.co/1VcZyCmwTK
— Pikliz Papi (@so_rudez) March 5, 2019
Scratching my head at the Will Smith casting but also... congrats to the writer who put their script on @theblcklst and now has Will Smith in their film! https://t.co/ltUGNo2wXx
— Driadonna.com (@DreeTV) March 5, 2019
Will Smith is tapped to play Richard Williams in "King Richard," a biopic of Venus and Serena's dad. Maybe Ariana Grande can play Serena? Why not?
— Curtis Scoon (@CurtisScoon) March 6, 2019
Some made their own casting recommendations. Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba and Colman Domingo were among the suggestions.
?? was mahershala not available or any other darker skinned male actor ever?? https://t.co/tBNwgxl8hj
— e (@futiledevicesx) March 5, 2019
Mahershala Ali isn’t available???
— sandiesideup 🌈 (@sandiesideup) March 4, 2019
Lmao, nothing fake woke about it. People have eyes. Will Smith is 5 shades lighter than Richard Williams. Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson...hell, Idris Elba even would be better fit. In a biopic, yes, appearance should be considered.
— niknikky (@ydragurl) March 6, 2019
Others didn’t see an issue and said Smith would be great for the role regardless of his skin tone. They even noted he starred in “The Pursuit of Happyness” as Chris Gardner, who is a few shades darker than him.
#WillSmith played Chris Gardner in Pursuit of Happyiness and he is dark skinned. Knock it off with the fake colorism outrage #colorism #serenawilliams pic.twitter.com/YLA4WIFjrK
— tya moore (@Justtyabrand) March 6, 2019
Was there a colorism debate when Will Smith played Chris Gardner in Pursuit of Happyness? 🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/hhKvHSVbig
— mrsmoore79 (@mrsmoore_79) March 5, 2019
So to be clear we’re screaming “Colorism” because a black man is not black enough to play a black man... isn’t that the definition of colorism... he needs to be the right shade to be satisfied??? #WillSmith is a great actor and will do Mr. Williams Justice regardless skin tone🙄
— Lil’ Knot (@GetOffMyZickk) March 6, 2019
And a few thought the discussion was “silly.”
Such a silly discussion. Will Smith is black full stop. You don’t hear this nonsense among white people. Black people unite and stop this Trump era of silliness.
— Mugisha CB (@Batindacb) March 6, 2019
Respectfully disagree. Will Smith is a brilliant actor and, if the producers want him to play this role, then so be it. We have actual racism to deal with already. Making a big deal over the skin tone of an actor seems a bit silly. Make your own movie or don't watch this one.
— Karwolo Kamei, Esq. (@kthegreat123) March 5, 2019
» RELATED: Serena Williams tops Forbes' list of top-earning female athletes
About the Author
Najja Parker is a multimedia journalist covering Black culture for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is an engaging on-air talent, who has served as a host for the newsroom’s special projects and events, such as the movie premiere of “The South Got Something To Say,” a documentary chronicling the rise of Atlanta hip-hop.
