'I, Tonya': 6 of the Film's Stars and Their Real-Life Inspirations

Hollywood Journal

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Here's what you need to know about the cast, the real people they portray and story behind this infamous scandal.

Transcript

00:00My entire life, I've been told I wouldn't amount to anything.

00:04And you know what? Maybe I would.

00:07I, Tonya is based on the life of former competitive figure skater Tanya Harding.

00:11It centers on the infamous scandal between Harding and Nancy Kerrigan

00:15that rocked the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

00:19The film gives viewers a glimpse into Harding's life leading up to the incident

00:23that left Kerrigan, her main competitor, injured.

00:25After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September,

00:29I, Tonya hits theaters this weekend.

00:31So here's what you need to know about the cast, the real people they portray,

00:35and the story behind the infamous scandal.

00:38Margot Robbie stars as Tanya Harding.

00:40Prior to the scandal, Harding became the first American woman to complete a triple axel jump

00:45in a competition in 1991.

00:47Here's what went down.

00:48Before the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships,

00:51associates of Harding arranged for Kerrigan to be assaulted.

00:55Harding denied knowledge of the attack and was still able to compete in the 1994

00:59Olympic Games, where she placed eighth.

01:01That same year, Harding was banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Association

01:06after she pled guilty to the felony of conspiracy to hinder the prosecution in the attack of Kerrigan.

01:11She was sentenced to three years of probation.

01:14Robbie was able to meet Harding with the film's director.

01:17She told THR of preparing for the role.

01:19The ice skating portion of the character was obviously humongous and took a lot of training before we started.

01:25And I really underestimated how difficult it would be.

01:27Sebastian Stan plays Jeff Galluli, Harding's first husband, whom she married in 1990.

01:32Jeff was my first date ever.

01:34And my mom came.

01:37Galluli helped organize the 1994 attack on Kerrigan.

01:40When a warrant was issued for his arrest, Galluli turned himself in to the FBI.

01:45Stan also had the opportunity to meet with Galluli in person.

01:48According to Harding, Galluli was abusive, which led her to leave him.

01:52However, she was pressured to stay with him by the U.S. Figure Skating Association and did so to maintain her reputation.

01:58She was told by a higher-up in the skating world that if she didn't stay with him,

02:03she wasn't going to get the marks she was going to deserve because now she's not the picture-perfect girl.

02:07But Harding's life wasn't picture-perfect.

02:10This is made evident in the film through her relationship with her mother.

02:13Did you ever love me?

02:14I made you a champion knowing you'd hate me for it.

02:17That's the sacrifice a mother makes.

02:19He cursed me.

02:20Alice and Janney portrays Harding's mom, LaVonna Harding, who was a waitress in Portland, Oregon.

02:25Before giving birth to Tanya, she had been married five times.

02:28She divorced Tanya's father when Tanya was 15 years old.

02:31In the 1986 documentary Sharp Edges, Harding said of her mother,

02:35Janney, who plays Tanya's mother in the movie, never got to meet LaVonna in person.

02:46She credits the footage they had and Tanya's version of who her mother was for her portrayal.

02:51She told THR,

02:52She's probably one of the most complicated characters I've ever played and one of the cruelest characters.

02:58You call that a clean skate? Stop talking to her. That girl is your enemy.

03:02McKenna Grace plays young Harding in the film.

03:05As a child, Harding didn't have the economic background that most figure skaters have.

03:09Raised in Portland, Oregon, Harding and her family relied on homemade clothing, fishing and hunting to supplement their needs.

03:15Harding began ice skating at three years old after a trip to a mall in Portland that had an ice rink at the time.

03:21She had natural-born raw talent and was considered a prodigy.

03:24Now for the woman at the other side of the scandal, Nancy Kerrigan.

03:28Kaitlyn Carver plays the former figure skater in the film.

03:31In January 1994, Kerrigan was assaulted with a police baton by a man said to have been hired by Harding's then-husband and bodyguard.

03:39The attack resulted in bruising and swelling surrounding Kerrigan's right knee.

03:43With Kerrigan injured at the 1994 national competition, Harding won, which secured her place for the Winter Olympics that year.

03:50Kerrigan was able to recover in time for the Olympics and received a silver medal for her performance.

03:55And remember, that's where Harding placed eighth.

03:58And Paul Walter Hauser plays Eckhart, Harding's bodyguard who helped plan the assault on Kerrigan.

04:04What can you tell us about Tonya Harding?

04:06I don't know a Tony Harding.

04:09Aren't you her bodyguard?

04:10Six days after the attack, Eckhart confessed to the crime and cited Galluli and Harding as the minds behind it.

04:17Eckhart was arrested with attacker Shane Stant and getaway driver Derek Smith.

04:21He went by the name Brian Sean Griffith after the attack and passed away in 2007.

04:26For much more on I, Tonya, head to THR.com.

04:29And let me know in the comments if you plan on seeing the movie in theaters this weekend.

04:33For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.

'I, Tonya': 6 of the Film's Stars and Their Real-Life Inspirations | THR News

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