Will Smith says 'unconscious' bias has been a huge barrier

Will Smith thinks overcoming “unconscious” bias has been one of his biggest challenges.

The 53-year-old actor plays Richard Williams – the father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams – in ‘King Richard’, and he’s drawn a parallel between his own life experiences and those of the iconic coach, who guided his daughters from Compton to the top of the sporting world.

Will said: “It’s one of the hardest barriers to overcome, is an unconscious barrier in someone’s mind.”

Will rose from modest beginnings to eventually become one of the best-paid actors in Hollywood.

Similarly, the Williams sisters overcame “overt” obstacles to dominate a sport that was almost exclusively white until they emerged on the tennis scene.

Will told Sky News: “It was completely, thoroughly and totally unheard of that one young black girl was going to be number one, let alone two.”

The actor believes that self-belief is crucial to overcoming obstacles.

He reflected: “It’s a really difficult situation because you can’t walk in thinking you don’t belong there, right? The more authentic your belief is it actually takes a power in dissolving the blockages in the minds you come in contact with.”

Meanwhile, Serena recently revealed that making ‘King Richard’ was a “surreal” experience.

The Olympic gold medallist and her sister Venus, 41, have both been heavily involved with the new drama movie – which explores their rise and the influence of their dad – and Serena relished the experience of making the film.

She said: “No word describes it better than surreal. Just to see these incredible actresses and everyone behind it just putting this all together about our dad’s journey but, because of myself and my sister, it really is like, ‘Wow, OK, really? Are we really something?’”