“I Ran in the Room and Cried”: King Richard Actor Details Her First Meeting With Serena Williams

King Richard has been doing exceptionally well for itself since its release. A particular feature of the movie which has drawn appreciation form all quarters is the level of acting. Many have dubbed Will Smith’s performance as Oscar-worthy. Additionally, the young actors, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, who portrayed Venus and Serena Williams respectively in the film, have been showered with praises.

Will Smith and Demi Singleton caught up with each other to talk about the making of ‘King Richard’. In conversation with Interview Magazine, Singleton talked about meeting Serena for the first time.

Demi Singleton recollects meeting Serena Williams for the first time

Demi Singleton was asked by the interviewer which was a more nervous moment for Demi – meeting Will Smith for the first time or meeting Serena. The legendary actor answered on behalf of Singleton and said, “It was absolutely Serena. I can answer that one. She was definitely losing it meeting Serena”.

“I was freaking out the day I met Serena. As soon as she walked away, I ran in the room and cried. It was a lot. No, I was definitely more nervous meeting Serena, but her and Venus both, they’re like family now,” Singleton added.

With all that she had achieved on a tennis court and the legacy she left for aspiring youngsters to follow, it would have been a dream come true for Demi Singleton to not just meet the 23-time Grand Slam champion but also portray her in a film.

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King Richard received rave response, thanks to Demi and Saniyya

Both Saniyya and Demi have played their parts to perfection and so has Will Smith. Even before its release, the movie traveled across film festivals and the Williams family also enjoyed a special screening ahead of its theatrical release.

Looking at the tennis season of both the sisters, Serena reached the semis at the Australian Open, which was her best Grand Slam result of the season. Her highly-anticipated Wimbledon run was cut short due to an unfortunate slip during the first round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Venus, on the other hand, gave multiple appearances at various tournaments and will be continuing to do so next year on the WTA tour as well. Both the sisters will be looking to make an impact at the Australian tennis summer, starting from January 2022.

Also read: Serena Williams Teasingly Responds to Venus Williams, Claims to Bake the Perfect Cinnamon Rolls