- Jane Campion is a successful New Zealand director
- She has won many awards, breaking boundaries for female directors
- Her latest acceptance speech has landed her in hot water
Her latest cinematic achievement is the film The Power of The Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, for which she has recently been awarded the Critic's Choice Award. The director had an unfortunate comment towards tennis star twins Venus and Serena Williams, whose biopic film King Richard is also up for many awards this season.
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Jane Campion Wants To Set The Record Straight
During her acceptance of the award, Campion said: "Venus and Serena, you're such marvels. However, you don't play against the guys, like I have to."
Social media was quick to slam Campion for diminishing the accomplishment of two of sport's most accomplished athletes. Venus and Serena have competed in co-ed tournaments before and have been successful at it as well. So Campion's comments were not only out of place, but they were also inaccurate.
With that in mind, Jane Campion has wasted no time in setting the record straight and explaining her comments more in depth. And it seems like her intentions were truly genuine, and she just got a little ahead of herself.
No Harm No Foul?
"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 in an official statement on Monday.
"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 minimize remarkable women."
Campion finished her apology extending an olive branch: "Their accomplishments are titanic and inspiring. Serena and Venus, I apologize and completely celebrate you," she said.
The Power of The Dog is still set to make a sweep at the Oscars this season, so let's wait and see if Campion's comments end up curtailing the film's success at all!
