“King Richard” Williams has appeared as a polarizing figure in the new trailer for his documentary – which features unseen footage of Serena and Venus before they became tennis greats.
The U.S. Sun has obtained an exclusive rough cut of the trailer for On the Line after the movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.
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The film, which follows on from the King Richard biopic starring Will Smith, continues to receive rave reviews at private events ahead of its public release in the coming weeks.
Described as an “emotional reckoning” featuring unaired interviews spanning the 1980s to the present day, Richard retraces his past “from the poverty-stricken streets of Shreveport, Louisiana, to the grass courts of Wimbledon.”
The documentary tells the tale of how he fought back against systemic and racial oppression and violence, “breaking every rule of the lily-white tennis establishment to forever change the sport.”
Richard narrates the documentary, filmed more than a year ago, describing how the family moved to Compton, California, described as a “rough neighborhood” where people lived from “day to day.”
In the first look at the film, Serena and Venus can be seen as children leaving their modest home with their father and heading out onto the court in unseen home movies.
Scenes show strict Richard coaching young Venus, bellowing to her that if she doesn’t improve her game, she’ll “never be a tennis player.”
It also features a behind-the-scenes look at a TV interview from 1995, where Richard yells at an interviewer and defends Venus after the journalist asked why she was so confident she would be a success.
“You’ve got to understand you’re dealing with the image of a 14-year-old child,” Richard blasted.
“And this child gonna be our there playing when your old a** and me gonna be in the grave.
A COMPLEX CHARACTER
“You’re dealing with a little black kid, and let her be a kid. She answered with a lot of confidence. Leave that alone.”
It also shows stunning footage of Serena stepping onto the court with her father and being met with a “crescendo of boos” back in 2001 in Indian Wells, California.
At the time, Richard was being accused of fixing games after Venus pulled out of a semifinal against her sister four minutes before the match.
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Richard remained defiant and waved his fist at his critics, as thousands pointed and shouted from the stands.
“The world was not ready for Richard Williams,” one interviewee is heard saying in the first trailer, which runs four minutes and 57 seconds long.
The film, directed by Stuart McClave, includes Richard’s son Chavoita LeSane, who helped produce the documentary, and the family is looking forward to its full release.
THE REAL STORY
Richard, who struggles with communication problems after multiple strokes, told The U.S. Sun: “It comes out in February, I just wanted people to see me a little better,” joking he’s still “ugly” but agreed to appear on screen to tell his story.
The Golden Globes claimed the movie achieves its goal of “breathing life into a subject in a way that not even King Richard was able to accomplish.”
Unseen Films says it paints a portrait of a “complex man,” while Variety wrote: “Richard Williams has his say in this thoughtful documentary.”
His son Chavoita previously said: “I feel like the world doesn’t know Richard Williams’ story. Lik,e who created them, what was the thinking, what madness?
“How does a parent create a number one and a number two [in sport] … that’s phenomenal, especially in a very racist sport. It’s tennis.
“How do you get two kids to believe in themselves that much? I have children now. It’s hard to get them out of bed and make them go to school in the morning, you know?
“I wanted his POV [point of view] to be seen, his true voice to be heard. I’m ecstatic. Everybody who’s seen it, they are all blown away.”
He added this week that they are still working out the release date, which has been pushed back, but he’s been busy traveling and promoting the movie.
“The trailer is still being fine-tuned, but we wanted to give readers a taste of what’s to come,” Chavoita said.
“I leave for Montana on Friday, Big Sky’s Film Festival, then next week I have Colorado Film Festival. There’s a lot going on, and we’re glad the movie will finally be out there soon.”
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