Will Smith Increased Salaries Of ‘King Richard’ Cast After Aunjanue Ellis Wrote Him A Letter
King Richard star Aunjanue Ellis recently revealed that Will Smith made some significant changes to casting salaries after she wrote a letter to the veteran Hollywood star.
During a recent appearance on 105.9’s The Breakfast Club with co-host Charlemagne Tha God, Angela Yee, and DJ Envy, the 53-year-old star clarified reports about Smith gifting cast members bonus following the film’s release and subsequent performance.
The biographical sports drama follows the life of Richard Williams, father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, and his determination to write his daughters into history.
“He did, but I think what’s important to say about that…and I think it’s important that I say this. As I said, after you get the job, the fight is not over. You know you have to fight for equal pay and that kind of thing. I did that job, and I’m thankful for it, but I could have gotten paid better. So I told him this, and he did something about it,” the California native explained.
She continued, “As a result of his doing, his responding to the letter that I wrote to him, not only did he address that with increasing my pay, but the other actors in the movie also got their pay increased, which is the proof of when the Black women do well, everybody does well.”
The movie earned several nominations for this year’s Academy Awards ceremony set to take place on Sunday, (March 27). Ellis received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her part as Richard’s wife Oracene ‘Brandy’ Williams, while Smith earned a nomination for Best Actor. The movie is also up for Best Picture.
