Will Smith Wins Best Actor At 2022 Golden Globe For King Richard

Will Smith has won his first Golden Globe for his role as Venus and Serena William’s father, Richard Williams, in the 2021 movie “King Richard.” 

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The multihyphenate won the award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, beating off competition which included Mahershala Ali (Swan Song) and Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth). Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog) were also in the running.  

Will Smith has been nominated on five previous occasions. Though he first received the nod for his role as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” in 1993 and most recently was nominated for his performance in the 2016 movie Concussion, this is the first time he takes home the win.  

“King Richard,” tells the story of Richard Williams following his life as the father and coach of the trailblazing Williams sisters. Will Smith recently revealed it may be the best project he’s ever worked on. 

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Will Smith on “King Richard”

“I had secretly in my mind felt that I would never make anything better than The Pursuit of Happyness,” Smith told ETonine. “I never said that out loud, but I felt like I would never make anything better than The Pursuit of Happyness and then I saw King Richard.” 

He continued, “I want to make stories that make me smile, I want to tell stories that make me cry and I want to tell stories about the triumph of the human spirit and the women of the movement, and King Richard fit in with that. The amount of time we spend on the set and on these things, I don’t want to ask anybody, ever to do anything that they’re not going to be proud of, for the rest of their life,” Smith shared. “So, for me, that’s where I am right now, when I call, and I say to people, ‘Hey, come with me on this journey,’ I want it to be something that is fun. And I want it to contribute to the evolution, and the growth of the consciousness and loving connection between human beings.”