“She wanted to tell her story,” says Naomi Osaka documentary executive producer Jamal Henderson
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Naomi Osaka has had quite a feisty few months
World number 2 Naomi Osaka has been in the news recently for many things, notably her exit from the 2021 French Open and her Netflix documentary, which was released recently, one week before the Olympics kick off in Tokyo.
Osaka was at the centre of Roland Garros controversy in 2021
The news of her being the one who wanted to make the film will comes as news to those who have been paying attention to the news of her wanting to distance herself from media as soon as possible. At the 2021 French Open, the 23-year-old Japanese superstar was fined USD 15,000 for for not complying with the responsibilities of the Press conferences.
Naomi said that being asked repetitive questions or those questions which brought doubt to herself were affecting her mental health and as a result,she decided to quit the tournament after being threatened with sanctions by the French Open officials. The 2-time Grand Slam champion went on to miss the next Slam in succession too.
“Wanted to show how it feels to be contender to Serena” : Henderson
Henderson said that it was Osaka and her team that started the processions for the project, meeting up with SpringHill company, an entireprise connected to Lakers superstar LeBron James. “We felt like the best idea was to make something that documented Osaka’s life around what it feels like to be a contender against the legendary Serena Williams and has the pressure to be the ‘next big thing’.”
SpringHill helped get Netflix filmmaker Garrett Bradley access to roam around Osaka with cameras and also gain footage like home videos from Osaka’s parents. Naomi never interrupted the process and placed no restrictions, allowing Bradley and her crew to film until the project was finally done with, a project that spanned the entirety of 2 years.
Garrett also mentioned that she empathized with what Osaka was going through during her press conferences and that she found that Osaka is incredible clear when she speaks.
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Saharsh Narayan
(111 Articles Published)