King's Fight for Women's Rights : FOX Searchlight Presents Battle of the Sexes

Originally published at The Hollywood Times: https://www.thehollywoodtimes.today/kings-fight-for-womens-rights/

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“It is a movie about a match and it’s about emancipation, about equality, and about love. It wasn’t sort of a taboo “lesbian story”, it was a love story.” Andrea Riseborough, who portrayed Billie Jean King’s lover Marilyn Barnett, perfectly depicts the overall message of the upcoming film Battle of the Sexes. This film is about the true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King, portrayed by Emma Stone, and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs, portrayed by Steve Carell. The casting of Stone and Carell was on point for this film. The resemblance of the actors to the real people they were portraying was uncanny. Carell and Stone gave exceptional performances and not only looked like King and Riggs, but had their mannerisms down to a tee. These brilliant actors did justice to this incredibly powerful story. However, the film isn’t just about the tennis match; it’s about everything that was going on in King’s personal life during this time. King was married and had her first affair with a woman, Marilyn Barnett, while fighting for equal pay for women and standing up against the USLTA. In a confusing time where it would have been much easier for King to back down to protect her secrets, she didn’t and continued to fight for equal pay and equal rights for women all over the world. Films like Battle of the Sexes show us that yes, we have come a long way but, there is a lot more progression to be made in terms of equal treatment, pay and rights for all people despite their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. The stories of strong women and LGBTQ figures are starting to be told in films and this is a huge step towards hopefully abolishing barriers and borders for these films in the entertainment industry. Don’t miss out on this truly remarkable film; Battle of the Sexes is in select theaters September 22nd and available everywhere on September 29th.