New Photos of Margot Robbie as Figure Skater Tonya Harding and Sebastian Stan as Harding’s Ex-Husband
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Tonya Harding was one of American figure skating’s brightest lights. That is, she was until she was implicated in a 1994 plot by her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt, who pleaded guilty to hiring someone to club Harding’s main rival, Nancy Kerrigan, on the leg in the run-up to the Winter Olympics. The shocking incident — which led to a plea deal and probation for Harding — rocked the sports world and will no doubt be one of the focal points of the upcoming Harding biopic I, Tonya, starring Margot Robbie of Suicide Squad as the skater. And now, we have new photos of Robbie and Sebastian Stan as Gillooly sporting some serious late ’80s style.
I, Tonya will reportedly chart Harding’s rise to fame, and the way in which her relationship with Gillooly helped lead her to ruin. From these photos, the biopic will focus at least partially on events preceding Harding’s rise to American skating’s peak, because they show Robbie sporting short, curly hair, versus the longer locks that Harding had during her celebrated professional run:
Meanwhile, Stan (seen below with Robbie) appears to be a perfect fit to play the mustached Gillooly. Harding married him in 1990 when she was just 19. They divorced in 1993.
Also seen on-set in full costume is Allison Janney, who’s playing Harding’s mother, LaVona Golden, who was known for being a domineering mentor to her daughter (as an adult, Harding accused her mom of mental and physical abuse):
These photos come on the heels of last week’s behind-the-scenes snapshot of Robbie with long hair and body padding.
Directed by Craig Gillespie (The Finest Hours, Fright Night) and also starring Julianne Nicholson (who’s not, as early reports indicated, playing Kerrigan), I, Tonya is due out sometime in 2018 — meaning there are likely more photos on the way, including Robbie in full figure skating gear.