BOLLYWOOD ‘PLAYING BILLIE JEAN KING WAS CHALLENGING’

Emma Stone, who plays the tennis great in a biopic, worked hard to capture her essence

Oscar-winning actor Emma Stone, who’ll be seen playing Billie Jean King in the upcoming biopic Battle of the Sexes, feels that it was challenging to play the former world No. 1 tennis player.

Talking at the red carpet of the movie, Stone, who won an Academy Award this year for La La Land, said, “I’ve never played a real person before and it’s, like, this person is an icon and an absolute badass that I could never even hope to be exactly like.” She also revealed that capturing the essence of King’s character was really important to her.

Stone said about the tennis great, “Capturing the essence was very important to us. It was super challenging, but [King] was so warm and welcoming and open to all of it. She was generous with her story — that made it much easier than if she was like, ‘Please don’t make this movie about me, good night.’”

Also present at the event was the real Billie Jean King. “Emma, thanks for making me look so good,” King quipped about Stone when introducing the film.

The tennis great had met everyone involved with the film before shooting began. Although King spent time with Stone, the film’s directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (who are also married) made sure the actor and the real person kept their distance as well.

The film also stars Steve Carell, who plays tennis ace Bobby Riggs. The match between King and Riggs is the battle of the sexes, a sporting event that became associated with women’s liberation.