Jane Campion, the Oscar-nominated, multi-award-winning director of The Power of the Dog, apologized on Monday for telling the tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams they “do not play against the guys like I have to”, during an acceptance speech at the Critics Choice Awards (CCA) on Sunday.
In a statement, Campion said: “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.”
Winning best director at the CCA on Sunday, Campion acknowledged women at the ceremony including the actor Halle Berry and the Williams sisters, whose youth and relationship with their father is the subject of the film King Richard.
“Venus and Serena, what an honor to be in the room with you,” Campion said, before jokingly requesting tennis lessons.
Campion went on to thank her fellow best director nominees, all male, then said: “I’d also just like to give my love out to my fellow – the guys. And Serena and Venus, you are such marvels. However, you do not play against the guys like I have to.”
Cameras showed Serena Williams applauding but Venus Williams seeming uncomfortable.
In careers which include 122 singles titles and three Olympic gold medals between them, the Williams sisters have competed against men, winning several mixed doubles titles.
Campion’s remark quickly trended on social media, with many calling the comments “racist”, “backhanded” or lacking in awareness.
Drew Dixon, a producer, said: “The nerve of Jane Campion to suggest her journey is harder than that of two Black women who’ve overcome racism, sexism and classism in one of the whitest, richest sports in the world to become CHAMPIONS again and again is why I have trust issues with white feminists.”
The actor Jodie Turner-Smith, who attended the CCA ceremony, tweeted: “[Jane] taking time out of her best director speech to tell two Black women that she is more oppressed than them is PEAK white feminism.”
Campion has come under fire before. At the Venice festival last September, she said the #MeToo movement, against sexual harassment and violence, represented “the end of apartheid for us women”.
Many suggested that remark ignored Black women affected by apartheid in South Africa, as well as the many barriers faced by marginalized women in the entertainment industry.
In her apology on Monday, Campion said: “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. I love Serena and Venus. Their accomplishments are titanic and inspiring. Serena and Venus, I apologize and completely celebrate you.”
