Will Smith Opens Up About the Bonuses He Gave to 'King Richard' Cast & Crew

Will Smith is opening up about his appreciation for the cast and crew of King Richard.

The 53-year-old producer and star of the drama, who plays Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams in the chronicling of their professional journey, got candid with ET about giving bonuses to his co-workers.

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“All I can do is my part, so it’s always an honor and a pleasure for me to do my part, and everybody put in brilliant work,” he said.

“It was the COVID shutdowns, people really stuck with us” he added.

“It was a much more difficult process than anybody thought they were signing up for,” he went on to say, adding: “I just felt that it was fair.”

King Richard will debut simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max.

The Hollywood Reporter previously revealed that he received about $40 million for the film, and used his own money to pay bonuses to the cast of King Richard, including Saniyya Sidney (Venus) and Demi Singleton (Serena), as well as Tony Goldwyn, Jon Bernthal and Aunjanue Ellis.

They were reportedly an additional cash sum, in addition to what Warner Bros. had already given them to compensate for the same-day theater and HBO Max premiere strategy amid the pandemic.

Find out who came out to support Will Smith at the movie’s premiere!