‘Thoughtless Comment’ at Critics’ Choice: Campion’s Public Apology to Serena and Venus Williams

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‘Thoughtless Comment’ at Critics’ Choice: Campion’s Public Apology to Serena and Venus Williams

Jane Campion / The Power of the Dog / 2020s

During the awards season for The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion provoked criticism with an offhand line during her Critics' Choice Movie Award acceptance speech in which she invoked Serena and Venus Williams: “And you know, Serena and Venus, you are such marvels. However, you do not play against the guys — like I have to.” The remark was widely read as a thoughtless comparison between elite athletes and the gendered realities of working in the film industry, and Campion issued a public apology. She acknowledged that she had made “a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved,” said she did not intend “to devalue these two legendary Black women and world‑class athletes,” and apologized directly to them. The controversy occurred while The Power of the Dog was enjoying widespread critical success — the film led the 94th Academy Awards nominations and ultimately earned Campion a Best Director Oscar — but the episode remains a notable example of how a single line in an awards speech can trigger immediate public backlash and the need for rapid clarification from a celebrated artist.