Anais Gutierrez
‘Battle of the Sexes’ continues collecting praise and good reviews during the film festival season. The film was recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was received with high praise.
Actors Steve Carrell and Emma Stone discussed the importance of the film for mordern age and the current political climate.
All about ‘Battle of The Sexes’
Following its praised world debut at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, ‘Battle of the Sexes‘ was screened over the weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival and gathered great reviews.
‘Battle of the Sexes’ plot is loosely based on the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. In which, King defeated ex-champion Riggs at the Houston Astrodome in a match nicknamed “Battle of the Sexes.”
Riggs thought there was no way a woman could beat him at tennis, and used his outlandish commentary to drum up publicity for the match. The film stars Emma Stone and Steve Carell as King and Riggs, respectively, with Andrea Riseborough, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell and Sarah Silverman in supporting roles.
The film is also set to screen at the BFI London Film Festival on October 7. It will be released in the United States on September 22, and worlwide in the following week. On Saturday, Stone performed a special tribute to King in honor of the 50th anniversary of the tennis icon’s triple crown win in 1967.
Together with Tony-nominated singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles, Stone paid tribute to King at a pre-match ceremony at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City, where the U.S. Open is currently being held.
In 1967, King won her triple crown by finishing first in the women’s singles, women’s doubles and women’s mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open.
Scratching one more from the list
At 28, Emma Stone, the highest paid actress in Hollywood, has done everything from a Broadway musical to a period drama. But with ‘Battle of the Sexes’, Stone veers into uncharted territory—playing, for the first time, a real person.
“Luckily, Billie Jean is a pure force of nature and positivity,” Stone told Vanity Fair’. “I didn’t talk to her too much while filming because it was too much pressure and she has all the benefit of hindsight of decades older now. But it was really scary at first.”
‘Battle of the Sexes’ offers another first for Stone: her first sex scene, with Andrea Riseborough, who plays King’s love interest Marilyn Barnett.
As for Carell, who plays Riggs, Stone said that she unfortunately did not get many scenes with the actor, who co-starred with her in ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’. “It’s our ‘Sleepless in Seattle’,” Stone said, joking about how few times they shared the screen. As for Carrell, he’s hoping for a reunion to happen soon enough.
“I worked with Ryan again after that and then she has worked with Ryan, so we’re like dueling over who gets to work with Ryan more,” Carell said he would like to have the opportunity to work with both actors again.
More than entertainment value
In an exclusive featurette about the upcoming film, the two stars and directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris explained the historical impact of the event that inspired their big screen adaptation.
“Billie Jean in that era was going through so much pressure — professionally and personally,” she says over more scenes from the film, including action shots and a more intimate setting with costar Andrea Riseborough, who portrays King’s then-secret lover Marilyn Barnett.
“The whole world was watching,” says Stone. “It was the sporting world’s version of the moon landing.” Stone has been highlighting the importance of the film, in an interview she said.
“This is a story that occurred 44 years ago. This woman is an absolute icon of equality and L.G.B.T. rights,” she said.
“It is just amazing to show my generation, who didn’t see the Battle of the Sexes, or maybe didn’t know Billie Jean’s whole story, how much she fought for change within her industry, which then affected larger change.”
And in terms of gender rights, Stone continued, “I don’t feel like that much has changed.”
Though there is one difference: “Women couldn’t get a credit card at that time without a man signing for her.” Smiling, she added, “I do have my own credit card, so there’s that.
Source: Mashable
