Choreography on the Court: Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton on King Richard

SS: And on this film, he had five! [laughs] He would always say that girls are so different from boys. Something that he loved about girls is that their response was always “yes.” He said, “With boys, you often hear them go, ‘No, I’m not going to do that,’ but you girls would always take a leap of faith,” which is cool.

DS: He would recall how his boys would kind of run away and say, “No, I’m not doing it,” and we were like, ‘Why not? Let’s try it.’

SS: Rather than fight about it physically. [laughs]

What aspects of Venus and Serena did you want to emulate in your performances?

DS: I think for us both, it was really important to show that sisterly bond that they had. They were very, very close. Even to this day, they are still best friends who are basically attached at the hip, and that’s also a big part of who they both are. I feel like they both kind of lean on one another, so it was really important for us to show that in the film.

SS: I agree with what Demi said. The sisterly bond that you see between Venus and Serena is just incredible. They are so close. A lot of people asked their sisters Isha and Lyndrea over the years, “Is it fake? Is it a put-on? Are they doing it for the cameras?” And the answer is no.

DS: We’ve seen it first-hand!

SS: When you meet them, it’s exactly what you see in the pictures or the videos. They are very much conjoined at the hip and that’s something we definitely wanted to portray. The experience of making the film definitely made Demi and I become sisters. We were friends first and now she’s my sister.

DS: Yeah, we are really, really close now.

(L-r) DEMI SINGLETON as Serena Williams and SANIYYA SIDNEY as Venus Williams in Warner Bros. Pictures’ inspiring drama “KING RICHARD,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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