For those who grew up in the 90’s it was hard to miss the story of disgraced Figure Skater, Tonya Harding who was associated with an orchestrated attack on fellow US Olympian Nancy Kerrigan with her then-husband Jeff Gillooly. Now, Director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Steven Rogers shed some light on the on the varying accounts of Harding’s rise and fall from grace in I, Tonya.
We had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with both Gillespie and Rogers who explained to us why he wanted to bring to light aspects of Tonya’s story and peoples interest in nostalgia and the perception of truth. Gillespie went on to explain how Tonya has been a figure in American pop culture for many years, with even previous President, Barack Obama referring to her in a speech. Gillespie also goes on to explain how, after Margot Robbie and Allison Janney were already on board before he joined, he went about casting Sebastian Stan to play Jeff Gillooly.
You can watch the interview in full below.
RELATED: I, Tonya Premiere Interviews
Based on the unbelievable but true events, I, TONYA is a darkly comedic tale of American figure skater, Tonya Harding, and one of the most sensational scandals in sports history. Though Harding was the first American woman to complete a triple axel in competition, her legacy was forever defined by her association with an infamous, ill-conceived, and even more poorly executed attack on fellow Olympic competitor Nancy Kerrigan.
Featuring an iconic turn by Margot Robbie as the fiery Harding, a mustachioed Sebastian Stan as her impetuous ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, a tour-de-force performance from Allison Janney as her acid-tongued mother, LaVona Golden, and an original screenplay by Steven Rogers, Craig Gillespie’s I, TONYA is an absurd, irreverent, and piercing portrayal of Harding’s life and career in all of its unchecked––and checkered––glory.
Related: I, Tonya Press Conference
I, Tonya hits cinemas February 23rd.
