The Critics Choice Awards were the first awards show where Venus and Serena Williams turned out to support King Richard, a film about their father and their family, and a film which they produced. They’re incredibly proud of the film, as they should be, and they’ve been fully welcomed into the Hollywood A-list. Which made it extremely bizarre when, at the Critics Choice Awards, director Jane Campion decided to take a swipe at Serena and Venus in her victory speech. She told Venus and Serena: “What an honor to be in the room with you… Serena and Venus, you are such marvels. However, you do not play against the guys, like I have to.” It was bad:
So all of Monday, people were dragging Jane Campion and deservedly so! Her statement was peak white feminism and it was also just wrong and insulting. So after all of the well-deserved backlash, Campion issued a statement and an apology on Monday:
Jane Campion issued an apology to Serena and Venus Williams after facing backlash for saying they’ve never had to face off against men like she has.
“I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved,” Campion told Page Six in a statement. “I did not intend to devalue these two legendary Black women and world class athletes… The fact is the Williams sisters have, actually, squared off against men on the court (and off), and they have both raised the bar and opened doors for what is possible for women in this world.”
Campion, 67, said that the last thing she would ever want to do is “minimize remarkable women.”
“I love Serena and Venus. Their accomplishments are titanic and inspiring. Serena and Venus, I apologize and completely celebrate you,” she said.
I’m trying to think about how this could have been handled differently on Campion’s end. Like, obviously she should have never said the sh-t in the first place. But the crisis manager in me wonders if the backlash would have been different or more muted if Campion apologized and made this statement immediately late Sunday night, knowing that she f–ked it up in the room? Because issuing this statement after being dragged for 15-plus hours on the internet makes it seem like Jane Campion only realized/understood how problematic her comments were after everyone yelled at her. Sigh…
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Jane Campion attends the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 669495771, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jane Campion, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- Venus Williams, Serena Williams attends the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 669495868, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- CENTURY CITY, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – MARCH 13: Jane Campion wearing Dior Haute Couture arrives at the 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on March 13, 2022 in Century City, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 669530206, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jane Campion, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- CENTURY CITY, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – MARCH 13: Venus Williams wearing Atelier Versace with Sophia Webster shoes and a Rodo clutch arrives at the 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on March 13, 2022 in Century City, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 669532550, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Venus Williams, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- CENTURY CITY, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – MARCH 13: Jane Campion poses with the Best Director award for ‘The Power of the Dog’ in the press room at the 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on March 13, 2022 in Century City, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 669559177, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jane Campion, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
Venus looks like an actual goddess in that dress.
I love that she wore platforms. With her already impressive height she must have been a towering vision in silver.
She is unbelievably stunning.
She looked so beautiful and glowing. She really gets her fashion and staying right and that whole look was Goddess level.
They both look INCREDIBLE. So, so stunning!! But yes, I do particularly love Venus in that dress!!
Crisis managers are trying to save the Oscar campaign. Voting begins later this week and she and her film were frontrunners. This may well have cost her best director if not more. Once you see someone’s true colors, you can’t unsee them. And we’ve seen hers.
How many problematic men have won the Oscar for best director? A woman makes a poorly worded acceptance speech and her work is entirely erased.
@Megan, it’s too many to count. And I agree with your point completely. My thought was that she gave people a reason to vote for someone else and made an uphill climb steeper for herself. It’s an own goal she couldn’t afford.
“poorly worded” is putting it lightly to say the least. It was racist. And if it stops Oscars voters from voting for her, then good.
No, it wasn’t “poorly worded.” Do not make excuses for racism. And stop with the whataboutism.
This is a good point, but aside from the fact that this isn’t her first time completely showing how racist ass(she compared #MeToo to the end of apartheid which is fully wild). And when she made this mistake matters- at the start of Oscar voting when she is in a category with a deeply beloved male colleague(Spielberg) who also made a terrific film.
Nobody can take away the fact she made a great film and sexism comes into play but the timing of this mistake matters especially when her competition is equally good and less problematic.
Spielberg is a prime example of a problematic man. In 2016, amid the “Oscars so white” controversy he said the Academy wasn’t racist and he forced Kathleen Kennedy to work for his production company against her will.
So they are both racist then? Maybe the director of the amazing indie, “Drive My Car” will win then?
No, it was not “poorly worded”. It’s what she thinks & it’s racist. And her movie sucked.
“How many problematic men have won the Oscar for best director? A woman makes a poorly worded acceptance speech and her work is entirely erased.”
Why do you all always trot out feminism when a white woman does something racist??? Where was Jane Campion’s feminism when she decide to take a dump on Venus and Serena’s lived experiences??? Do you not realize Jane Campion parroted an anti-equal pay talking point (“women don’t play the men in tennis, so why should their prize money be the same as the men’s)? Do you NOT realize that her words undermined what VENUS in particular spent her early career campaigning for (which could have been detrimental to her personally and financially at time)???
Or do you just want white women to get a free pass?? Because WE ALL KNOW that NOTHING is going to happen to Miss Jane, just like NOTHING happened to her when she compared #MeToo to apartheid last October, as if BLACK women in South African didn’t live under ACTUAL apartheid.
Poorly worded? Love to hear what you’d call racist? The use of the N word perhaps?
I don’t think so, unfortunately. Someone on here mentioned that the deadline for voting was back in Feb. So it won’t have any effect.
I just went to check the Oscar voting dates, and I can see how some were confused. The deadline for nominations was February 1. Here is an excerpt I took from Variety which featured an email sent out by Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO. I am taking “finals voting” to mean awards given March 27. There would be no sense in the Oscar campaigns if voting stopped weeks ago; hence, her limited apology.
… “The nominees in all 23 award categories will be announced on Tuesday, February 8. Finals voting begins March 17. And mark your calendars for our 94th Oscars ceremony on Sunday, March 27.”
So hopefully some voters will contemplate what JC did and said and it will reflect in their vote. Who knows, but at least it is not too late.
Also, Campion’s apology only recognized Venus and Serena’s work in tennis. They have expanded into many more forums, including film, and she did not recognize that. I agree with those who pointed that out.
Considering the Academy’s voting body still skews heavily towards long-time industry veterans, I imagine this won’t have any effect whatsoever. They just don’t care about stuff like this.
You have to remember, they widened the voter pool in recent years after Oscars so white, yes. But they didn’t expel the long-time aged members, they’re still there. The average age of Oscar voters is 63.
Most of the over 50s seem to vote along the lines of the ancient block of over 60s & 70s because they grew up idolizing those people and share the same tastes. (Judging by certain trends in winners being characteristically old fashioned.)
Only 900 or so voters are so old that they’re on emeritus status. So older people and even older inactive people who’ve yet to age out into emeritus based on the date of their last credits still dominate the day.
I think if she’d included something about learning — like admitting that her comment was PWF and that she’s going to learn more about intersectional feminism — it might’ve been better.
She doesn’t seem to understand or care why what she said is so problematic. Her apology is “no offence intended” but that’s no longer sufficient. (Intent does not excuse).
I agree completely. The difference between a half-hearted PR apology and a genuine apology is the admission that you’ve learned something you’ll carry forward so as not to make the same mistake again. Campion didn’t do that here.
Her speech was scripted so it’s not like she misplaced in a high pressure moment. And even if she had it wouldn’t excuse a 67 year old woman who claims to have been in this fight since the beginning for having never examined her biases.
I don’t understand how the Williams sisters were on her mind when writing that speech.. I mean, I get that King Richard is out but these aren’t comparable situations. Just as a broader thing, who compares filmmaking to sports? Does she think their accomplishments will somehow mean King Richard beats POTD in Oscar categories and so she had to snark about it? Because she just gave King Richard a huge boost and knee capped herself.
Absolutely! The fact that they were on her mind at all speaks volumes.
@JerseyCow: You make a valid point, but at this stage the bromides about “learning” and “doing better” have become kind of cliched to my ears. I mean, a 67-year-old woman who is still “learning” about racism, and that it exists doesn’t exactly speak well of Campion. What I find baffling is that she just plucked Venus and Serena from thin air, inserted them into her speech, only to diminish their struggles and accomplishments. It’s really odd.
I also read that J. Campion is the daughter of a well-known New Zealand theater director father and actress mother, so the notion that she had it so much harder than V & S, two young girls (when they started) from Compton, with no privileged connections in tennis, who went on to dominate the game (with a combined 30 Grand Slam titles) is a bizarre statement to make, in my view. I don’t think anyone wants to take anything away from J. Campion, but she and other white women must learn how to claim their victories without trying to invalidate the triumphs of black women in the process.
WTAF. Why did she feel the need to make that statement in the first place? These two women have achieved so much in their careers, groundbreaking on so many levels. Why did she feel the need to cut them down? Did she feel it necessary in order to celebrate her own win? Wow. PWF indeed!
I also did not understand the connection. They were not in the running for best director. If she wanted to fangirl or highlight their accomplishments because they were in the room, she could have done that, but she used the opportunity to try to “one up” them. There is room for greatness for all of us and we are so much stronger when we support each other. Incredibly disappointed.
Roo,
I feel the same. It took me awhile to get over my initial confusion upon reading about her speech. She *seemed* so genuinely excited about the Williams sisters being there. And said some nice things and then took that really crappy turn. I can’t get over how BIZARRE it was.
Obv, the racism of it is the worst part. But I can’t help but also get stuck on how she even got there. Assuming, as I do, that she has on one level a genuine respect for those women, how do you compliment them in one sentence, and then say what she said in the next? It was just so strange.
I agree, the whole speech was really bizarre and awkward, like she hadn’t really thought about what she was going to say if she won. I suffer from anxiety and the speech makes me wonder if Campion does too, because sometimes when I’m anxious and in public situations I express myself awkwardly. And sometimes I’m not fully aware of what’s coming out of my mouth. Of course this doesn’t excuse the comment she made, it was awful, and if she does experience anxiety she should prepare her words carefully in advance.
She got there because she doesn’t believe that Venus and Serena deserve to be in the same room as she does. It’s typical racist white entitlement.
My theory is that she so wallows in her own self pity at how hard her struggle has been (and I’m sure it has) that she resents King Richard because while it’s the story of two little girls fighting racism, classism, and sexism, the film in her mind rose through more mainstream channels than her own work. Just a theory. (I’ve never been a fan of Campion’s work. I saw the Piano with my mom who likes those extreme stories of an innocent pure-hearted woman being terrorized by a truly evil man. I found it overwrought and walked out on the rape scene. I’ve been holding that in for nearly 30 years).
Bettyrose, I hated the Piano. Hated all the characters except the child and the piano. I’m with you.
Hard agree! Spoiler alert: Haven’t seen it since it came out so my memory may be iffy but yet another story of a woman falling for someone who is in a position of power over her (the guy stealing the piano) then that overwrought cutting off of a finger with an axe (can’t be easy!). Misogynist claptrap right up there with Lars von Trier. Ridiculous and racist speech.
Hated the comments about Serena & Venus! Why did she do that??
@bettyrose I don’t remember a rape scene at all
@koro I took it as the piano is her metaphorical voice and Harvey’s character wants to hear it … this creates the chemistry
The piano was such garbage. Yes the poor white woman. Not the massive loss of identity and land and culture of the natives that were used as props and let’s use random baroque music to enhance the horrors of living in this wild untamed land as this innocent colonizer!
Calling it a “thoughtless comment” is entirely the point, Jane. You simply don’t think about intersectionality at all, still, after all this time.
And I even disagree with the “thoughtless” part! She said it like she was trying out new jokes for White Girl Comedy Open Mic Night. She knew at the time what she was saying and said it anyway, she’s just not used to people calling out her BS.
Yep. As if anyone with the remotest chance of getting on a stage hasn’t written and refined their words a hundred times.
Even if it was a “thoughtless” comment (I’m not so sure about that because it was an award show speech) but the context matters here too. She said it while she was trying to make a point, a deliberate point about winning one against “the guys,” and that this was a win for the women, or for feminism. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to highlight the other women nominees in other categories, and unfamiliar roles as female producers, writers, directors, etc. instead of using her platform to carve Venus and Serena outside of feminism, outside of the “girl power” win? I don’t get it.
She put a lot of thought into her speech that night. She saw a lot of people going up to Venus and Serena and decided to bring them down a peg or two which is what white feminists always do.
Yeah, I can’t ever divorce this from her. The fact that she would choose to say this in such a celebratory atmosphere….she clearly felt like Venus and Serena were invading “her” territory and that she shouldn’t have to share the spotlight.
She was so condescending. She also apparently asked if they would come over and give her tennis lessons. The whole thing was gross.
Yeah, it was rehearsed and deliberate, absolutely bonkers.
Exactly. It wasn’t off the cuff. It was scripted and rehearsed. And possibly someone even advised her against it. The apology falls flat because it’s a response to the internet dragging her not a legitimate desire to learn.
Jane was a sore winner that night. She got the prize but didn’t feel recognized enough compared to Venus and Serena.
So many white women are exhausting and try to sap the energy from black woman. Just leave us alone.
Are some white people afraid of black excellence? Intimidated by it? Why the need to even mention Venus and Serena? It literally makes no sense – unless you don’t think that they deserve to be in the same space as you – or you think that they got there by unfair means?
Venus and Serena are already GOAT’s in their original field. Then they turned around and produced a critically acclaimed film, the first time out the box like the GOAT’s they are, and are gonna get Will Smith, who has been beating Benedict (who himself has been nothing but gracious and a total professional) his first Oscar.
Director Karen is a alright Director who is use to everyone kissing her backside every few years she does a film.
Yeah, she meant every word and she thought with that Kiwi accent she could get away with it and thought it would come across as charming. Well, it wasn’t and she ain’t.
@Tiffany
My Mum always used to say “put your brain in gear before you put your mouth in gear”. And she said it in her Kiwi accent too. The Kiwi accent is NOT the problem here.
“Are some white people afraid of black excellence?”
yes, yes they are.
I think yes, there are white people who are intimidated by Black excellence. Not even sure it’s just “some” TBH. There are two (vile) versions: “how did they do so much when they had so much against them?” and “what will be left for me?” It’s very unexamined and all the more powerful for it. I think that’s a huge part of what’s going on here and am furious at Campion for being such a tool.
I was going to watch this but I wont bother now
If you mean her film, it’s no great sacrifice to miss it. There’s some great performances for sure but the general story has been done before and better. The film’s pacing is off. It’s incredibly slow moving and gambles the entire plot in the audience connecting with one very brief scene. King Richard is just a better and more memorable film.
excellent take @bettyrose. I’m a fan of Kirsten and Jesse so I supported it but you described the movie perfectly and I agree.
She should have said that she was going to examine why she felt the need to say that in the first place. Why she felt so threatened by the Williams sisters being in the same room with her that she had to use her acceptance speech to attempt to humble them. PWF is fragile af,
I agree. I hope she does actually examine it, while she felt the need to use her moment to tear down anyone, but especially those two incredible women.
I assume the delay was her working up an apology with her PR people.
Thank G-D…that I knew by the age of 5…that I can’t present myself in the world and be…checking notes…thoughtless…about the words that come out of my mouth.
Amen!
Lol, so good and true.
She didn’t make a thoughtless comment; she made an ignorant comment. And “I completely celebrate you” doesn’t sit well, either. She could say she admires them or is inspired by them, but “I celebrate” sounds like she’s on some kind of judging panel that decides who gets to be celebrated.
This pictures of her hanging on Serena later are just cringe, absolute cringe, and disturbing after her comments.
Where did you see them? And what was Serena’s vibe? Was she like, please leave me alone.
@Roo I saw the picture on Twitter (it was actually Venus she was hanging all over). I can’t copy and paste the link on my phone, but I’ll try to be as detailed as possible: Campion was on Venus’s left, and not only did she have both arms wrapped around her body, but also had her head on Venus’s shoulder 🙄. Meanwhile, Venus is smiling and trying to appear gracious, but it’s obvious that she is uncomfortable, her body is facing forward instead of towards Campion, her left hand is on Campion’s shoulder and her right arm is hanging stiffly on her side.
It still boggles my mind she attempted to make this comparison to begin with. Like yes, fine to mention their attendance and that you’re excited to be in their presence as they’re legends of their sport, but…why make any comparison, and then go so far as to PUT THEM DOWN in the process? It’s just plainly racist. She went so far out of her way to get there.
F#ck her. Clueless elder bitch.
Sam Elliott is smiling that big Cheshire cat-like, mustache-moving cowboy (actor!!!) smile he always does.
Smiling like a B-i-t-c-h.
I thought the film was rubbish. Some gorgeous scenery, but a boring and unrealistic story that went on and on. Best part is Jesse Plemmons, worst is Cumberbatch american accent- who cast that man in this role? I think Campion should lose just for that enormous error. And her apology to the amazing Williams women was pathetic…
I thought the best part of the movie was Kodie Smitt-McPhee who played the son. He’s been the front-runner for Best Supporting Actor and I hope he still wins despite her ghastly comments. The others involved shouldn’t be punished for what she did and said.
That said I’d be good with Jesse winning too. I love him.
Pretty sure Campion still doesn’t understand why what she said was wrong and its implications.
Agreed. She is definitely the racist who thinks everyone is overreacting to a “joke”.
If Jane thinks an apology “fixes it” I disagree.
Then I watched Halle Berry’s speech, it was touching, moving, aspirational and everything Jane’s speech was not. She called out for more scripts about women and POC and that’s a bit the opposite of Power of the Dog.
Hard to applaud her for putting Sam in his place when she’s just as problematic