Robbie defends violence in I, Tonya

[Nergal]

 

Margot Robbie has defended the portrayal of domestic violence in the biopic I, Tonya, saying to water it down would be a "disservice" to victims.

The Oscar-nominated actress stars in a biopic of Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, who was banned from the sport after an attack on her fellow competitor, Nancy Kerrigan.

I, Tonya features harrowing depictions of abuse, from both Harding's mother LaVona, played by Allison Janney, and her husband, Jeff Gillooly, played by Sebastian Stan.

The scenes are juxtaposed with Robbie breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience and make jokes.

The Australian actress said she discussed balancing the tone at length with director Craig Gillespie.

"... we discussed it a lot and Craig said 'You can't shy away from it, it is horrific, the violence should be uncomfortable to watch.

"If we sugarcoat it we are doing quite a disservice to anyone who has suffered that, to brush it under the rug as if it didn't happen or to make it seem like it's not that bad, or easier to endure.

"But at the same time trying to make sure an audience can keep watching that for a long time is a tricky dance and Craig came up with the idea of breaking the fourth wall in those moments and seeing her emotionally disconnect to what is happening to her physically at the time.

"I think that was a very truthful approach and all you can do in art is try to approach everything as truthfully as possible."