In 1994, a figure skating scandal rocked the Olympic world at television drama levels — Nancy Kerrigan, long-time rival of Tonya Harding, was attacked with a club to her knee, just weeks before the Olympics. The perpetrator of the crime? A man connected to Harding's ex-husband, and thus Harding herself.
But of course, time distorts many stories — which is why I, Tonya, out Friday, might just clear up some misconceptions. The film, in which Margot Robbie embodies the legendary figure skater and tells her tale, is a dark comedy that brings viewers into the competitive, grueling, and dramatic world of competitive figure skating, all while telling the story of the crime from different perspectives.
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Still, it's fun to play a little game of trivia. Ahead of the film's release, we took to the streets of New York to see how the Kerrigan-Harding drama has stood the test of time. Sadly, plenty of facts have been forgotten.
Turns out, not a lot of people know the true story behind the events that transpired in Detroit in 1994. In fact, some people think Harding herself attacked Kerrigan, or forget which figure skater was attacked to begin with. There were, of course, folks who had heard the story of Kerrigan screaming on the floor, "Why?!" But did they remember whether or not she could actually compete at the Olympics because of the attack? Or whether or not Harding was sentenced to prison?
So to clear things up, we chat with Paul Walter Hauser, who plays Harding's bodyguard in I, Tonya. Watch the video above to get the true story — and see just how wrong some people have it.
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