Juliet Tierney Talks Margot Robbie’s Strong Performance As Tonya Harding In 'I, Tonya'
Tonya Harding became one of the first female figure skaters to complete a triple axel jump in competition. However, her reputation was destroyed when she became involved in one of the biggest sports scandals that captured news headlines around the world in the 1990's.
Harding's opponent, Nancy Kerrigan, was attacked in the knees by an unknown assailant with a baton while practicing for the US Figure Skating Championships. It didn't take long before local police figured out that Harding and her abusive ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, planned Kerrigan's attack.
Now, almost 25 years later, the former Olympic figure skater has a film based on her not-so-glorious life and career, directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Juliet Tierney, called I, Tonya.
To celebrate the Blu-ray and digital release of I, Tonya, Enstars spoke with Producer Juliet Tierney about shooting Margot Robbie's (Tonya Harding) skating scenes and her dysfunctional relationship with her mother played by Allison Janney. In addition, Enstars has a deleted scene to share from the award-winning film. Be sure to check out the deleted scene below.
Margot Robbie's Figure Skating Training
To prepare for her role as Harding, Margot Robbie trained as a figure skater for 5 months prior to shooting I, Tonya. "It was truly amazing how much of the difficult and complex routines she was able to skate," Tierney told Enstars.
"All the skating scenes were complex to shoot, especially some of the longer takes where the camera is very close. I would say the Lillehammer scene is the most moving and complex," said Tierney.
Margot Robbie's Strong Performance As Tonya Harding
Enstars asked Tierney how I, Tonya would've been different if someone else played Harding. "I think that Margot's strong and authentic performance is a huge part of the believability and enjoyment of the film. The first time I watched the rough cut I cried 3 times! There is a rawness about the performance that creates huge sympathy for Tonya Harding in a way that has not been seen before. Giving the context of her life and background makes her achievements all the greater," said Tierney.
"Margot is a wonderfully warm, strong and intelligent woman. Not only does she play a character from her teenage years to mid-forties, all of it believable, along with her husband, Margot produced the movie as well," said Tierney.
"She is a fantastic role model for woman in film, at a time when that is finally a talking point in Hollywood. To work with such a strong and courageous woman is an inspiration. I can't imagine any other actress playing this part," said Tierney.
Margot Robbie And Allison Janney As The Dysfunctional Mother-Daughter Duo
Margot Robbie and Allison Janney (LaVona Golden) played the most dysfunctional mother-daughter duo in the film. "They are both such great actresses and create a very believable all be it dysfunctional mother and daughter relationship! It is a testimony to two strong women playing two strong women," said Tierney.
I, Tonya is coming to Digital (Mar. 2, 2018) and Blu-ray (Mar. 13, 2018). Watch below the deleted scene from the movie that Enstars exclusively got from the production.
