The Making of “I, Tonya” and Its Controversial Portrayal of Figure Skating

The 2017 film I, Tonya presents a raw, darkly comedic, and deliberately fractured account of one of the most infamous scandals in sports history. Directed by Craig Gillespie, the movie focuses on figure skater Tonya Harding, her tumultuous upbringing, her rise to elite athleticism, and her connection to the 1994 attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan. By blending fourth-wall-breaking interviews, archival-style footage, and stylized violence, the film challenges conventional sports biopics. It strips away the polish of competitive figure skating to reveal a world of class conflict, domestic abuse, and media exploitation. This article examines the film’s production, its controversial depiction of figure skating, and its lasting impact on audiences and the sport itself.

Background and Development: From Scandal to Screen

The story behind I, Tonya begins with screenwriter Steven Rogers, who became fascinated by Tonya Harding’s life after watching a 1994 news segment. Rogers conducted extensive interviews with Harding and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, blending their often contradictory accounts into a narrative framework. The script was developed over several years and eventually landed at LuckyChap Entertainment, the production company co-founded by Margot Robbie, who would later portray Harding.

Director Craig Gillespie, known for films like Lars and the Real Girl and The Finest Hours, was drawn to the project because of its tonal complexity. He wanted to avoid a straightforward “rise and fall” structure, instead opting for a meta-cinematic approach that acknowledges the unreliability of memory and the media’s role in shaping public perception. The film’s title sequence, which intercuts hard-hitting training montages with domestic violence, immediately signals that this will not be a traditional sports movie.

The filmmakers secured cooperation from several key figures, including Harding herself, who served as a consultant. However, the film also used the conflicting testimonies of Gillooly, Shawn Eckardt (Harding’s bodyguard), and others to create a Rashomon-like effect. This approach was central to the film’s narrative structure, which constantly reminds the audience that truth is subjective — especially when filtered through fame, trauma, and legal maneuvering.

The Real-Life Context: Tonya Harding and the 1994 Attack

To understand the controversy surrounding I, Tonya, one must first grasp the actual events. Tonya Harding rose from a working-class background in Portland, Oregon, to become the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition, a feat she achieved at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She was a fierce competitor but often ostracized by the figure skating establishment, which favored skaters who embodied grace, elegance, and middle-class respectability — qualities that Harding’s rough edges and homemade costumes did not project.

On January 6, 1994, Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the knee by an assailant after a practice session at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. The attack was orchestrated by Jeff Gillooly and Shawn Eckardt, with the involvement of hired thugs. Harding initially denied any prior knowledge, but she later pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution. She was stripped of her 1994 U.S. Championship title, banned from amateur figure skating for life, and became a pariah in the sports world. The media frenzy was immense, and the scandal overshadowed both Kerrigan’s eventual Olympic silver medal and Harding’s own legitimate athletic achievements.

I, Tonya does not shy away from this timeline. It presents the attack as a bungled, absurd plot driven by Gillooly’s jealousy and Eckardt’s delusions of grandeur. The film takes creative liberties — such as suggesting Harding may have known about the plan after the fact but was too afraid to speak out — but it grounds the narrative in documented facts where possible.

Figure Skating as a Brutal Sport: The Film’s Critique

One of the most controversial aspects of I, Tonya is its portrayal of figure skating itself. Rather than depicting the sport as a graceful, artistic pursuit, the film emphasizes its grueling physical demands, the culture of body shaming, and the financial burden on skaters. Harding’s childhood is shown as a series of harsh training sessions with an abusive mother, LaVona Golden (played by Allison Janney in an Oscar-winning performance). The ice is not a place of joy but of survival — a metaphor for Harding’s entire life.

The film critiques the class biases within the sport. Harding’s lack of expensive costumes, her preference for aggressive music, and her “white trash” label (as her mother calls it) are all used to illustrate how the skating world excluded her long before the scandal. In one scene, a judge explicitly tells Harding that she needs to look more like a lady and less like a “hockey player.” This class-based marginalization is a recurring theme, and the film argues that the skating establishment’s contempt for Harding contributed to her eventual downfall.

However, this gritty realism also drew criticism. Some skating purists argued that the film exaggerated the sport’s toxicity and sensationalized Harding’s trauma for entertainment. Others pointed out that the movie focuses almost exclusively on the negative aspects of figure skating, ignoring the camaraderie, artistry, and athleticism that define the sport for many participants. The film’s most vocal detractors accused it of “poverty porn” and of exploiting Harding’s story without fully addressing her moral complicity.

Production Challenges: Casting, Stunts, and Cinematography

Margot Robbie’s performance as Tonya Harding required intense physical and emotional preparation. Robbie learned to skate for the role, spending months training with former Olympic coach Tammy Gambill. She also performed her own skating sequences, including a simplified version of the triple axel. The film’s cinematography, led by Nicolas Karakatsanis, uses handheld cameras and naturalistic lighting to create a documentary-like immediacy. The on-ice sequences are shot with a kinetic energy that contrasts with the more static domestic scenes.

Allison Janney’s LaVona Golden is a standout; Janney wore a prosthetic eye and adopted a raspy, clipped delivery that perfectly encapsulated the character’s cruelty. The mother-daughter dynamic is the emotional core of the film, and Gillespie shot their scenes with claustrophobic framing to emphasize the lack of escape.

The stunt coordination for the attack scene was particularly tricky. The filmmakers wanted the violence to feel shocking but not gratuitous. In the end, the attack is shown from multiple angles — security footage, eye-witness accounts, and Harding’s own memory — each version slightly different, underscoring the theme of subjective truth.

Music and Soundtrack: Reinforcing the Tone

The soundtrack of I, Tonya is another key element. It features a mix of 1970s and 1980s rock, punk, and pop, along with classical pieces used for skating routines. Songs like “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac and “Beat on the Brat” by the Ramones underscore the film’s rebellious energy. The scoring by Jeff and Mychael Danna blends orchestral cues with distorted electronics, mirroring the tonal shifts from humor to tragedy.

Controversial Portrayal of Figure Skating

The film’s harshest criticism came from those who felt it did a disservice to the sport of figure skating. Jennifer Weir, a former competitive skater turned journalist, wrote in The Guardian that the movie “reduces an entire sport to a backdrop for a tabloid story.” Others noted that the film ignores the positive community and rigorous training that produce world-class athletes. The movie’s casual mention of Harding’s triple axel — shown in a single, triumphant slow-motion shot — is one of the few moments where skating is celebrated for its athletic excellence.

Conversely, defenders of the film argue that figure skating has always had a dark side, including eating disorders, abusive coaching, and institutional sexism. They point to documentaries like The Price of Gold (2014) and Tonya Harding: The Unauthorized Story (2016) as evidence that the sport’s problems are not exaggerated. The film’s portrayal of the umpires and judges as elitist gatekeepers is also backed by historical accounts; Harding was often penalized for her “artistic impression” scores despite technical mastery.

Another layer of controversy involves the film’s treatment of Nancy Kerrigan. She appears only briefly, and her depiction is sympathetic but limited. Some critics argued that the movie sidelines Kerrigan’s own trauma, effectively turning her into a footnote in Harding’s story. The film does not include any direct representation of Kerrigan’s perspective, which some view as a missed opportunity for balance.

Impact and Reception: Critical Acclaim and Box Office Success

Despite the controversy, I, Tonya was a critical and commercial success. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017 and went on to earn $53 million worldwide against a budget of $11 million. Margot Robbie received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, and Allison Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film also received nominations for Best Film Editing and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Audience reception was polarized. Many praised the film’s empathy for Harding, arguing that it rehabilitated her public image by humanizing someone who had been vilified for decades. Others felt it was a cynical exercise in post-truth storytelling, taking too many liberties with the facts to generate sympathy. The film’s use of actual news footage and faux-documentary interviews further blurred the line between reality and fiction, prompting debates about ethical storytelling.

The film also reignited interest in Harding’s skating career. A documentary called Tonya Harding: Olympic Champion? (2019) and several podcasts revisited her achievements. Even Harding herself acknowledged the film’s effect, saying in interviews that while it was not entirely accurate, it gave viewers a sense of her struggles.

Legacy and Cultural Significance

Five years after its release, I, Tonya remains a touchstone in the conversation about sports and media. It helped pave the way for other biopics that challenge conventional narratives, such as Bombshell (2019) and The Laundromat (2019). The film is frequently cited in discussions about class, gender, and the exploitation of female athletes. Its depiction of domestic abuse, while criticized by some as exploitative, was praised by others for its unflinching honesty.

The movie also contributed to a broader cultural reassessment of 1990s scandals. In the age of social media and cancel culture, I, Tonya prompts viewers to ask: Who gets to tell the story? What role do the media play in creating villains and victims? And how do we separate the art from the athlete? These questions remain relevant as new controversies emerge in sports, from doping to abuse scandals.

For figure skating specifically, the film influenced how outsiders view the sport. It likely contributed to a slight decrease in viewership for televised competitions, though causal links are hard to prove. More importantly, it encouraged a dialogue about the need for reform in youth sports, including stricter oversight of coaching and greater support for athletes’ mental health.

External Context and Further Reading

For those interested in exploring the real story behind the film, several resources provide deeper context. The documentary The Price of Gold (ESPN’s 30 for 30 series) offers a balanced look at the scandal. The book I, Tonya: The Shooting Script includes the original screenplay and interviews with the filmmaker. Finally, the official Olympic figure skating site provides a history of the sport’s technical achievements, including Harding’s triple axel.

The film’s legacy is also discussed in academic circles. Scholar Amy Rust’s article “The Unreliable Narrator in I, Tonya” examines the film’s postmodern storytelling techniques. For a critique of the film’s class politics, see the piece by Alisa Solomon in The Nation.

Conclusion

I, Tonya succeeds as a provocative, uncomfortable, and often brilliant film because it refuses to offer easy answers. It forces viewers to confront their own biases about truth, fame, and victimhood. Its portrayal of figure skating is intentionally distorted to serve a larger argument about class and gender in America. Whether one loves or loathes the movie, there is no denying that it changed how we talk about sports scandals and the people caught in them. The film remains a compelling, flawed, and essential piece of cinema — much like the skater at its center.