Jane Campion
She apologizes for saying about the Williams sisters
Jane Campion rows back.
© imago/ZUMA Wire
Jane Campion apologizes to Serena and Venus Williams. The tennis players also had to break through barriers.
Jane Campion (67) apologizes for a “careless statement” to Venus (41) and Serena Williams (40) at the Critics Choice Awards. “I had no intention of debasing these two legendary black women and world-class athletes,” the director wrote in one among others by “Deadline”. statements.
What happened? On Sunday, Jane Campion accepted the Critics Choice Award for Best Director for her production of The Power of the Dog. She also won for writing the western.
In her acceptance speech, the New Zealander addressed Serena and Venus Williams. The tennis players sat in the audience to support “King Richard”, a biopic about their father and coach Richard Williams (80). Will Smith won the Critics Choice Award for Best Actor for the film.
“You don’t play against the boys like I had to do”
“Serena and Venus, you guys are just amazing,” said Campion. “But you don’t play the boys like I have to.” The director alluded to her difficulties in a male-dominated industry. Campion is the first woman to be nominated twice for a directing Oscar: recently for “The Power of the Dog” and in 1993 for “The Piano”.
Criticism of Campion’s speech arose on social media after the award ceremony. She didn’t consider the hurdles the Williams sisters had to overcome as black women in the “white sport” of tennis.
So the director apologized. “The fact is, the Williams sisters have competed against men on (and off) the court and both have raised the bar and opened doors to what is possible for women in this world.” However, she did not address the aspect of racism mentioned in many reviews.