#*i tonya

Films watched in 2019 » I, Tonya (2017) dir. Craig Gillespie

costume appreciation: I, Tonya (costumes by Jennifer Johnson)

Who did you play?

I played Tonya Harding in the film I, Tonya.

What gravitated you to that role?

The script had been available and I read it for our production comapny and thought, “Wow, this story is insane.” It was such a good script and I wasn’t aware any of this really happened. I’m from Australia, so we weren’t familiar with Tonya Harding, her story or her headlines. The more I learned about it, the more I wanted to play this complicated character and just put her and Jeff’s sides of the story out there. Tonya had so much taken from her and never really got to have her story put out there, the film does such a good job of giving you their accounts and not swaying you either way. You can decide how you feel about it, what you believe happened. 

What was prep like for your role? 

A lot of time at the ice skating rink. I had ice skated before but not on figure skates. I had skated for my ice hockey team and not very well, might I add. I more so just crashed into the boards and other plays while I played hockey. Hockey skates and figure skates are very different. I also took some ballet classes since that really helped with the poise and discipline of skating. Of course, I watched a documentary about Tonya Harding and anything else I could find on her.

Was there anything about the role that didn’t resonate with you? 

Oh, a lot. Especially Tonya and Jeff’s toxic relationship. The abuse towards one another.. It was a very delicate subject but we had created such a safe space on set. As most of you know, my husband played Jeff and we had met in the auditions. We both felt so comfortable playing these characters with one another in what’s such an uncomfortable situation. We really pushed each other to limits we didn’t know we had as actors and it was one of my best acting experiences. That was such a credit to Seb. There was a scene we did and I just remember blacking out, getting lost in the scene and genuinely forgetting I was playing a role.. There’s only two times that’s happened and one of those times was with Seb. It got turned into this love story and I always credit him for that..  He played Jeff in a way that no one else had approached it in auditions. But anyway, at the end of the day, Jeff and Tonya truly did love each other and that can be what’s so difficult to wrap your head around. You can have a love story, in a weird way, and show how complicated and toxic their relationship was. 

Would you play this person again?

I don’t think so. I loved playing Tonya, I loved the experience and I’m so proud of the film we made but I think we left it all out on the field.. or ice. I think we told her story and there’s no reason to return. I don’t think we can top it.

Did you find out anything about yourself while playing another person?

I learned there was muscles I had that I wasn’t aware of! And as I said, I learned just how far I could go acting-wise, pushing myself to the limits. We filmed over a hundred scenes in just 35 days. Everyone told us we couldn’t make this film, it was impossible.. but it just made us want to make it even more, to prove people wrong. After we finished this film, I finally felt like I was at a stage in my acting career where I felt good enough to reach out to certain directors. Once Tonya was released, I actually wrote my letter to Quentin Tarantino about working with him and then the rest is history!

What was the most challenging thing about being in a biopic? 

The most challenging thing is probably knowing you’re playing a real life person and wanting to get it right, wanting to do them justice. But at the same time, you’re not exactly playing this person.. you’re playing a character of them. That differentiation is so important in playing a real life person and it helps take the pressure off a bit.

Have you met the person you played?

I, Tonya. It was only our second project for LuckyChap, but definitely a big challenge. It was a race to get it done because of our budget, and people really didn’t think we would pull it off. We knew we had something to prove. We had everything to prove. It was honestly a passion project for everyone involved. Everyone who worked on that film genuinely were on the film for the love of their craft: in front of and behind the camera. We were floored by the reception it had gotten it, especially after a quick turn around. We began working on it in January, it premiered at TIFF in September, began playing at different film festivals soon after, and it was in select theaters around the world in December. It was a whirlwind in the best way. It challenged me in every way possible as an actor and new producer. Most importantly, it led me to the love of my life. I’m forever grateful for that film and that experience. @sebasstan

My favorite scenes from each films..