Aunjanue Ellis Credits Will Smith For Advocating For Higher Salaries for ‘King Richard’ Cast!

April 7, 2022April 13, 2022 ruthmaxey1 434 Views african american entertainment news, african American lifestyle, Aunjanue Ellis Credits Will Smith for Advocating for Higher Salaries for ‘King Richard’ Cast!, aunjanue l ellis, celebrity aggression, celebrity gossip, celebrity news, celebrity rants, chris rock, Christopher Julius rock, the 2022 oscars, the academy awards, the arts, the arts unplugged, the Oscars, the performing arts, will smith, Will Smith resigns from the Academy after Chris Rock slap: ‘I am heartbroken!’, willard carroll smith jr

YourBlackWorld.net, By Ryan Steal, Posted April 7th 2022

Will Smith deserves praise from actress Aunjanue Ellis for going above and beyond to guarantee that the King Richard actors performed well and were fairly compensated.

Oracene Wright, who played Venus and Serena Williams’ mother in the film, recently appeared on The Breakfast Club and corroborated allegations that Smith gave the entire cast bonuses after the film’s success.

“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,” Ellis stated. “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.”

**WILL SMITH AND AUNJANUE ELLIS IN ‘KING RICHARD’**

Smith not only ensured that his on-screen wife was paid more, but he also ensured that the entire cast was paid more.

“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,” Ellis added.

Ellis received her first Academy Award nomination for her performance in King Richard, in the category of best supporting actress. She was nominated for SAG Awards, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes, among other awards.

Smith’s treatment of the cast and the diamonds he shared have been lauded by the Lovecraft Country singer.

“What surprised me most about him was the first day that I went into rehearsal with him, he had Post-It notes of every scene broken down of the entire movie…,” Ellis told People of Smith. “I just thought, ‘He doesn’t have to do that.’”

Ellis added that she was awesomely impressed by Smith’s level of commitment even at his early stage in his career.

“The other thing that I loved about him and the experience of working with him is that it’s an education in how to be a great superstar, how to be a great movie star,” she added. “But with him, it’s really an education in how to be a great man. That’s not celebrated enough.”