Aunjanue Ellis knew she might be a long shot to land the role of the mother of tennis stars Venus andSerena Williamsinthe acclaimed dramaKing Richard, but she was determined not to let the part slip out of her hands.
Now the hard work has paid off as the veteran actress is up for her first Academy Award, having been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Oracene Williams (née Price). But as Ellis, 53, recalls in a new episode ofthe PEOPLE Every Day podcast, the minds behind the film were initially interested in getting a more high profile name for the role.
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“I knew that they were interested and were going to pursue some other actors who are a lot more famous than I am, I’ll just put it like that,” the actress explains. “I wanted this part when I read it… But when I found out that they were thinking about other people, it didn’t worry me too much because I felt like, ‘I’m going to have a shot at this’.”
Ellis then taped herself with her sister while “yelling at my nieces and nephew in between takes” in order to get the audition just right, before scoring meetings with director Reinaldo Marcus Green and her eventual co-star and executive producerWill Smith. “I had to on the down low get on a plane while I was doingLovecraft Countryand run out to Los Angeles real quick and read with Will at his house,” she recalls, revealing that she even had to change and brush her teeth on the plane because she didn’t want to ask Smith if she could do it in his home: “I couldn’t do that.”
RELATED VIDEO: Aunjanue Ellis Says She Got an ‘Education on How to Be a Great Superstar’ fromWill Smith
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“I have had a good time these last couple weeks,” she says. “I didn’t expect that I would go to these events and win or lose. I’m like, ‘Oh, this is fun’.”
Ellis —who will also be honored at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards on March 24— is going to “enjoy” the final weeks of this awards season, hopingthe Oscars"will be another night that I’m going to have a good time."
“Being a part of this was a personal, very specific dream that I had,” she adds. “I’ve wanted this for a long, long time, so I’m so happy about that.”
Check out more episodes ofPEOPLE Every Day, airing onApple podcasts,iHeartMedia,Spotify,Stitcher,Amazon Musicor wherever you listen to your podcasts.
source: people.com
