Given that Lemonade is a triumphant celebration of the strength and power of Black women, it's no surprise that when it came to casting the visual album, Beyoncé looked to all-star tennis champion Serena Williams.
Over the weekend at the Italian Open, Williams confirmed that Bey's reasoning was the same as all of ours: Serena was a perfect fit because she's an inspirational beacon of strength.
“I have known the director since I was like 9 years old,” Williams explained to reporters in Rome, where she is playing at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. “I know Beyoncé pretty well, so they were like, ‘We would love for you to be in this particular song. It’s about strength and it’s about courage and that’s what we see you as.’”
The tennis star also shared the tips Beyoncé gave her before the cameras started rolling.
"She told me that she just wants me to dance, like just be really free and just dance like nobody's looking and go all out. So that wasn't easy in the beginning, but then it got easier," Williams said about her cameo in "Sorry."
"I thought that particular song on the visual album was really a strong song, and it was also really fun at the same time."
We thought we couldn't possibly ask for more after Williams' version of Beyoncé's "7/11," but it turns out we were dead wrong.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT