What the Award-Winning Film “King Richard” Taught Me About Character, Confidence, and Becoming A Champion

“No matter how them peoples treated her, no matter how disrespected, she stayed calm, she kept her heart clean. She was humble.” — Will Smith, “King Richard”

While the world disputes whether or not Will Smith should have been allowed on that Oscars stage, I want to discuss what got him there: an awe-inspiring performance in a true tale of grit, perseverance, and unshakeable self-belief. “King Richard” is chock-full of lessons on how to unlock your fullest potential with honest hard work, heroic tenacity, and most importantly, a humble heart.

Here’s what the story of the Williams family, as portrayed in the film “King Richard,” can teach anyone about the fundamentals of personal character, confidence, and triumph.

A Lesson on Character

1. No matter how high you rise, stay humble.

“No matter how them peoples treated her, no matter how disrespected, she stayed calm, she kept her heart clean. She was humble.” — Will Smith as Richard Williams, “King Richard”

This quote comes when Venus Williams is on a winning streak, crushing her competition in every tournament. On the car ride home after a big win, Richard Williams hears his daughters celebrating in a way he perceives as bragging. When they get home, he sits everyone in the living room for what at first appears to be a regular family movie night. They watch Cinderella.

When the movie ends, Richard asks his daughters to share a moral from the rags-to-riches story. None of the girls nail the lesson he hoped they would pick up on, so he drives his point home: Cinderella was humble. No matter how many times the evil stepsisters or stepmother mistreated her, Cinderella put her head down, did her work while dancing and singing, and never let any of the abuse harden her heart.

Richard Williams instills the value of humility in his daughters and teaches them that the essential thing in sport and life is to have fun. No matter how big the competition or how high the pressure rises, he’s the parent shouting, “Have fun, Venus Williams.”

From Richard’s example, we can all learn the building blocks of a well-rounded character: to be proud of your accomplishments but never boastful and work seriously towards your goals, but never to the point you lose your joy.

A Lesson on Confidence

2. You must always believe in yourself especially when no one else does.

“I Think I Have The Game To Beat Anyone. I Just Have To Play It.” — Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams, “King Richard”

Richard Williams was a man with a plan, and before it proved successful, everyone thought he was crazy. First, people told him how doubtful it was he had two tennis stars living under one roof, saying it was as improbable as raising two Mozarts. Then, when Venus and Serena started playing junior tennis, and everyone got a taste of their talents, they couldn’t fathom why Richard would pull them out of competitions to allow his girls to enjoy their childhoods.

The entire time Richard raised and trained both Venus and Serena, no one understood why he did things the way he did. He prioritized family over fame, progress over profit, and tomorrow over today. While preparing his daughters for brilliant careers, Richard looked into the future in a way most people can’t. He taught his daughters not only to believe they can be great someday but to know they already are.

Near the end of the film, when a reporter asks Venus if she thinks she can beat the best tennis player in the world at only fourteen years old, she remarks with subtle yet sure confidence:

“I think I have the game to beat anyone. I just have to play it.”

We can all learn from the humble yet steady form of confidence Richard Williams had in himself and that which he instilled in his daughters. The world doesn’t have to believe in you, but you must always find the ability to believe in yourself, not only by knowing you have what it takes to prove your worth but by recognizing you are innately worthy.

A Lesson on Becoming a Champion

3. There’s more to winning and losing than numbers on a scoreboard.

“If you don’t have no respect for yourself right now, you will never have none. At all.” — Will Smith as Richard Williams, “King Richard”

“King Richard” culminates with Venus Williams playing in her first professional tournament. Although she proves herself to be a fierce challenger to the highest-ranked player in the world, Venus loses the match. In full transparency, I was initially disappointed by her defeat.

As viewers, we are so used to seeing the victorious, full-circle moment when the underdog, at last, becomes the champion. It’s thrilling, addicting, and quite frankly expected from most sports-centered films. I anticipated “King Richard” to end with an obvious win for the Williams family, but as is representative of real life, the family’s triumph was nuanced.

After Venus loses the match, we find her sitting alone in the locker room, and with tears streaming down her face, she tells her parents she should have won. As usual, Richard doesn’t give the expected fatherly response, a big hug and a consolatory “you’ll get ’em next time, tiger!”

Instead, he looks at his daughter and offers her lifelong wisdom:

“If you don’t have no respect for yourself right now, you will never have none. At all.”

Richard continues to explain that Venus went toe-to-toe with the greatest player in the world and she handled herself with grace. He reminds her she’s a champion and everyone knows it. She should too.

While we all want to win big in life, we know there is no chance of success without failure. How you choose to look at your losses determines whether or not you become a champion. No one wins every tournament, no matter how trained or talented they are.

When you don’t get the outcome you desire, and perhaps even the one you deserve, hold your chin up, forgive yourself, and keep moving. That’s how you win even when you lose.

That’s how you prove to the world that you have the character, confidence, and makings of a champion.

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