Some 90 million people worldwide tuned in May 13, 1973, to watch 29-year-old Billie Jean King accept a challenge from 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, the loudmouth former men’s champ who claimed he could beat any woman in a tennis match — even the best one.
The story of that fateful contest is recreated in the new film “Battle of the Sexes,” starring Oscar-winner Emma Stone as Ms. King and Steve Carell as the conceited, self-aggrandizing Riggs.
As the film opens, Billie Jean storms into a social club to confront Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman), a former player and creator of the “Open” tournaments. Billie Jean’s demands are that the female players should be paid the same as the men. Kramer disagrees.
“They said, ’We want you to bring some humanity to this part so we could see all sides of him and not just see him as a mustache-twirling villain,” Mr. Pullman told The Washington Times.
While the film’s Kramer comes off more or less as a bigot and roadblock to gender equality, Mr. Pullman maintains there was far more to the man than merely what “Battle of the Sexes” imparts as Kramer worked hard for player rights and to negotiate salaries.
“If you read his obituary, no one said that he was a mean chauvinist. He got snagged in this one incident [where] he just could not abide the way that Billy Jean was conducting herself in the sport,” Mr. Pullman said. “I think that’s what happened to him.”
As the film proceeds, Mr. Carell’s Riggs’ gambling gets out of hand, to the point that his long-frustrated wife Priscilla (Elisabeth Shue), contemplates leaving him. “Battle of the Sexes” portrays their marriage as complicated and unconventional, with Riggs out to prove that he is not washed up. His brainstorm to get back into the limelight: challenge Billie Jean to a tennis match.
“He had this desperation behind his need to be liked and get attention,” Miss Shue told The Times of Riggs’ machinations. “I think Priscilla could see that little kid in him and could love the part of him that was so innocently desiring a moment in the sun, because he felt he was left behind as a tennis player.
“What made it easier is Steve’s performance … setting the record straight that Bobby Riggs was a very complicated man,” Miss Shue said of her co-star. “He was more of a Muhammad Ali character in the way used the media to drum up interest in him.”
Miss Shue, who describes herself as a “tennis fanatic,” said she was also drawn to the opportunity to work with talented actors like Mr. Carell.
“He’s always really funny, but he’s not somebody who ’needs’ to make you laugh,” she said, describing Mr. Carell as “ego-less.” “He’s very just so authentic. It’s really refreshing to spend time with somebody who is so easy to talk to.”
Both Mr. Pullman and Miss Shue met with and got pointers from Ms. King herself. Ms. King, now 73, gave Mr. Pullman some insight into her relationship with Kramer, telling him they even became friendly after the tense time depicted in “Battle of the Sexes.”
“She’s really very generous toward Jack’s memory,” Mr. Pullman said. “She did tell me that the last time she saw him was at Wimbledon, and she hugged him.”
Miss Shue got guidance from Ms. King of a different sort.
“My serve is now better because I asked her which part of the ball are you supposed to hit and the trajectory,” Miss Shue enthuses of her unlikely coaching experience. “I stared practicing the next day, and it was better.”
Much of what is depicted in “Battle of the Sexes” might seem cringeworthy to contemporary audiences, with the male-dominated professional sports world of the ’70s being particularly cruel to female athletes and unwanted suggestive comments all but de rigueur. However, for all that has changed in the 44 years since Ms. King’s match with Riggs, so much remains the same.
“What’s almost worse today is there’s a subtlety to it,” Miss Shue said of contemporary sexism. “Most of the comments in the movie, the way they treat women could make us laugh because they are so absurd.”
Not so subtle, however, was John McEnroe’s recent comment that Serena Williams would rank 700th in the world “if she played the men’s circuit.” Miss Shue believes that, unlike Riggs, Mr. McEnroe wasn’t making his comment to draw attention to himself or to earn money from a theoretical match with Ms. Williams, but rather to preen publicly.
“You don’t feel that John McEnroe is doing it just for show,” Miss Shue said, fearful that perhaps Mr. McEnroe does believe his own commentary about Ms. Williams’ tennis abilities.
Miss Shue said that what she took away from her interactions with Ms. King was the champ’s “power of presence” as well as her genuine interest in other people.
“If you are on a panel with her and and no one’s talking to you or asking you [questions], she starts talking about you,” Miss Shue said. “She’s always aware of people not getting enough attention other than her.
“It’s unreal how honest, how engaging she is, how interested in you she is,” the actress said. “She doesn’t want to talk about herself, she wants to talk about you.
“Of course we [also] had fun talking about tennis.”
“Battle of the Sexes” opens Friday.
• Eric Althoff can be reached at twt@washingtontimes.com.
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