“Take This Money and…”: King Richard Deleted Scene Revealed Involving Rick Macci and Venus and Serena Williams’ Father

Published 12/03/2021, 8:40 AM EST

‘King Richard’ has certainly gained a lot of popularity after its release on the big screen. The movie displays the extraordinary journey of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. Richard gave his 100% to transform the young girls into two of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Venus and Serena’s tennis coach from when they were young, Rick Macci, also played a pivotal role in their careers. He’s also one of the main characters in the movie, played by Jon Bernthal. Recently, a deleted scene from the movie was revealed which involved him offering to take a paycut from his compensation.

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Rick Macci refused part of his compensation, according to ‘King Richard’

During Macci’s contract discussions with Richard, he promised to take Venus on for free, according to the film. He was so confident in Venus’ ability and success that he put everything on the line for a 15% portion of her future earnings.

Macci was so sure about Venus Williams’ talent that he convinced the Williams family to move to Florida. Recently in a podcast, the actor Jon Bernthal, who is playing Rick Macci in the movie, talked about a deleted scene.

“I don’t want my 15%. This is nothing to do with me. You’re a good father, and I believe in you but you messing up here. Take this money and do this for your family, do this for these young girls. This is the right decision,” he recalled.

Jon also said that this instance helped him understand Macci as a person and helped him play the role better. Unfortunately for the audience, it didn’t make the final cut of the movie.

Watch this story: The Journey of Roger Federer to the Elite Billionaire’s Club

Serena Williams was emotional after watching the movie

Right after watching ‘King Richard’, Serena Williams was taken back by watching her and her family’s journey being depicted on the big screen. Even for one of the biggest tennis stars in the world, that experience was ‘surreal’.

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In her own words, she said, “No word describes it better than surreal. Just to see these incredible actresses and everyone behind it just putting this all together about our dad’s journey but, because of myself and my sister, it really is like, ‘Wow, OK, really? Are we really something?'”

Furthermore, she appreciated the acting of Will Smith, Saniyya Sidney, and Demi Singleton, who are playing the roles of Richard Williams, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams, respectively.

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Have you watched the movie yet?

Serena Williams and Venus Williams Pen Down Emotional Messages After Watching ‘King Richard’

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Atri Bhatt is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. He is pursuing his Master's degree in Sports Management from Deakin University, Australia. In addition to critically analysing the game, he also plays tennis professionally.

“Take This Money and…”: King Richard Deleted Scene Revealed Involving Rick Macci and Venus and Serena Williams’ Father

Rick Macci refused part of his compensation, according to ‘King Richard’

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