One of the best films I saw at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival was directorCraig Gillespie’sI, Tonya. For those unfamiliar, a little over twenty years ago,Tonya HardingandNancy Kerriganwere at the top of the competitive figure skating world whenJeff Gillooly, Harding’s husband, andShawn Eckardt, her bodyguard, hiredShane Stantto break Kerrigan’s leg. Their hope was that this would stop her from competing against Harding in the 1994 Winter Olympics. It was a massive story and is still one of the biggest scandals in U.S. sports history. Still, when the film was first announced – even with the greatMargot Robbieplaying Harding – I didn’t see the potential in the movie. After all, didn’t most of us know what happened from all the news coverage, TV specials, magazine articles, and newspaper coverage?
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Craig Gillespie has crafted an incredible movie that is part-comedy and part-mockumentary. The most important thing to know, however, is that Gillespie avoids judging the people involved, focusing strictly on presenting a behind-the-scenes look at what led to the shocking attack. I promise that as much as you think you know about Harding’s story, you’ll come away with an entirely new line of thinking after seeing the film.
In addition to Gillespie’s fantastic job behind the camera andSteven Rogers’sharp script, one of the reasonsI, Tonyais so fantastic was the acute and often moving work of the cast. While all the actors brought their A-game, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the amazing work of Robbie andAllison Janney, who plays Harding’s mom. Both performers absolutely disappeared into their roles and Janney brought the house down on multiple occasions. I’d be shocked if Janney isn’t nominated come Awards season. Beyond that,I, Tonyaalso features notable turns fromSebastian Stan,Julianne Nicholson,Paul Walter HauserandBobby Cannavale.
Shortly after seeing the film I sat down with Sebastian Stan for an exclusive video interview. He talked about how he first got involved in the project, what it was like playing Gillooly, how he fought for the role and what he did for the audition, making the film in only 31 days, and a lot more. In addition, he talked about what it’s been like makingJoeandAnthonyRusso’sAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers 4, filming in IMAX, and reveals a crazy story about how a previous interview we did helped him get a job onSteven Soderbergh’sLogan Lucky! Check out what he had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
Finally, you may read Matt Goldberg’sreview ofI, Tonyahere. NEON and 30Westbought the rights to the filmso I’d wager it will be in theaters before the end of the year.
Sebastian Stan:
