Director Jane Campion apologises for "thoughtless" Venus and Serena Williams comment
Jane Campion apologised for a controversial comment she made about tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams while accepting the best director award at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards.
On Sunday, 13 March, director Jane Campion was slammed worldwide for her controversial comment about the tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams.
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While accepting the Critics Choice Award for best director, Jane Campion said: “Venus and Serena, you’re such marvels, however, you don’t play against the guys, like I have to.”
“I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved. I did not intend to devalue these two legendary Black women and world-class athletes," Campion said.
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“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. The last thing I would ever want to do is minimise remarkable women. I love Serena and Venus. Their accomplishments are titanic and inspiring. Serena and Venus, I apologise and completely celebrate you," she continued.
Here's the clip of Jane Campion's speech#CriticsChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/pucAsmE2JF
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 14, 2022
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