I, Tonya

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I, TONYA. BASED ON IRONY FREE, WILDLY CONTRADICTORY, TOTALLY 1

TRUE INTERVIEWS WITH TONYA HARDING AND JEFF GILLOOLY.

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INT. TONYA HARDING’S HOME -KITCHEN -DAY 2

Title card:
Tonya Harding. Former Olympic Figure Skater.

Present day TONYA HARDING, 44, overweight with the samehaircut she had in 1994, glares warily into the camera.

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INT. NANCY’S TANNING AND HAIR SALON -DAY 3

Title card:
Jeff Gillooly. Tonya Harding’s ex-husband.

JEFF (GILLOOLY) STONE, middle aged, nondescript, glancessuspiciously at a boom over his head.

JEFF:

That’s very close, by the way...

Just saying.

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INT. LAVONA HARDING HOME -LIVING ROOM -DAY 4

Title card:
Lavona Harding. Tonya Harding’s mother.

LAVONA (HARDING) GOLDEN, 70’s, wears a moulting half fur coatand A LIVE BIRD on her shoulder. She talks to her bird.

LAVONA:

This is my little man. You my

little man? (Then to camera) That’s

my 6th husband right there. The

best of them!

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HOME MOVIES -HARDING FRONT LAWN -DAY 40 YEARS EARLIER 5

Grainy home movie film. Lavona’s husband Al Harding plays

with 3 year old Tonya. Lavona is disinterested.

LAVONA (V.O.)

Tonya’s my 5th child from husbandnumber 4. She was always a handfulbut I loved her and I guess wespoiled her. Which is a goddamnedhat trick when you haven’t got shityour entire life. Still.

(MORE)

2.

LAVONA (V.O.) (CONT'D)

I drove her to competitions andpractices. I sewed her all hercostumes.

6 CLOSE ON MODERN DAY LAVONA. 6

LAVONA:

But to her, her mother’s a monster.

7 INT. RAWLINSON’S HOUSE -LIVING ROOM -DAY 7

Title card:
Diane Rawlinson. Tonya Harding’s coach

DIANE RAWINSON, late 60’s, sits in her well appointed livingroom with a studied grace. She’d fit in any Ralph Lauren ad.

DIANE:

Generally people either love Tonyaor are not big fans. Like peopleeither love America or are not bigfans. Tonya was totally American.

8 INT. TELEVISION SCREEN -DAY 8

Title card:
Shawn Eckardt. Tonya Harding’s ex-bodyguard.

On a TV screen marked ‘Evidence’ a late 1990’s interview with

SHAWN ECKARDT, obese and delusional. Not a good combination.

SHAWN (V.O.)

Originally Jeff and Tonya wanted totake out Nancy Kerrigan. Take herout. I popped up and said there’sother ways to disable people. So.

You’re welcome.

9 INT. MARTIN MADDOX’S NEWSROOM OFFICE -DAY 9

Title card -Martin Maddox. Hard Copy Reporter 1989-1998.

MARTIN MADDOX, oily personified, relishes being on camera.

3.

MARTIN MADDOX:

I was a reporter for Hard Copy, a

crappy show all the ‘legitimate’

news outlets looked down on-then

became.

He laughs at his own joke.

10 INT. NAIL SALON -DAY -CLOSE ON MODERN DAY JEFF 10

JEFF:

At 27 I was the most hated man in

America. Maybe the world-with a

moustache I still can’t apologize

enough for. My name was a verb.

Like, if you bash someone in the

kneecap, you ‘Gillooly’ them...

That was cool though.

11 INT. TONYA’S HOUSE -DAY -CLOSE ON: MODERN DAY TONYA 11

TONYA:

What’s people’s impression of me?

That I’m a real person. That I

didn’ ever apologize for growin’ up

poor or bein’ a red neck which is

what I am. In a sport where the

friggin’ judges want you to be this

old-timey version of what a woman’s

supposed to be. Um. For bein’ the

first U.S. woman to land a triple

axel. So f*** ‘em.

12 INT. PRACTICE ICE RINK -OREGON -DAY 12

A TITLE CARD READS: Portland Oregon. 40 YEARS EARLIER.

Tonya, just 3 1/2, in a home made skating outfit and skates,

stands on the ice with Lavona, who wears sneakers.

They watch DIANE RAWINSON, pretty, perfect, teaching a group ofskaters.

Lavona, puffing on a cigarette, sizes Diane up.

LAVONA:

Diane! Lavona Harding. I spoke with

you on the phone.

4.

DIANE:

Mrs. Harding-

LAVONA:

Lavona. It’s Lavona-

DIANE:

Sorry. There’s no smoking on the ice.

LAVONA:

Oh... I’ll smoke it quietly then. Thishere’s my daughter Tonya.

DIANE:

Mrs. Harding. I told you on-

LAVONA:

I know what you told me. And it’sLavona. Only you never seen her skate.

DIANE:

I don’t train beginners.

LAVONA:

All she does is talk about skating.

All day, all night. I can’t makeher shut up about it. So it’seasier puttin’ her on ice if youknow what I mean. We figure withthe right training she can make themost of her gift. Like Ice Capadesmaybe one day or something.

Diane looks down at the little girl.

DIANE:

How old are you, honey?

LAVONA:

She’s a soft 4.

DIANE:

She’s a very pretty girl but I don’ttake on students this young. I’msorry. I have a class waiting.

She skates to the center of the ice as students gather round.

Tonya watches her go. Lavona stares bullets at Diane, then nodspurposefully to Tonya.

LAVONA:

Go on. Skate.

5.

Tonya skates around the perimeter of the rink. Never taking hereyes off Diane, she picks up speed.

Diane tries to ignore the little girl but there’s somethingabout her. And Tonya thrives on the attention.

Finally Dianne stops teaching. She smiles.

13 INT. COMPETITION ICE RINK -OREGON -DAY 13

A line of pagent-y 7 to 9 year old skaters stand in a line as atrashy 4 year old girl (Tonya) receives a 1st place medal.

TONYA (V.O.)

6 months later I win my firstcompetition. I was 4. Those bitchesdidn’t know what hit ‘em.

14 INT. PRACTICE ICE RINK -OREGON -DAY -4 YEARS LATER 14

Lavona sits in the bleachers sipping ‘coffee’ from a thermos.

LAVONA:

Wrooooong!.. Ordinary. Nothing specialthere.

On the ice, Tonya, 8, in an ugly homemade skating outfit,

flounders. Parents sit as far from Lavona as possible.

LAVONA (CONT’D)

Are you even trying. Cause there’sother places I’d f***ing rather be...

Concentrate. Is that what you call aclean skate, for Christ sake?

SKATER MOM:

Could you not swear in front of thekids please, Lavona?

LAVONA:

I didn’t swear, you c*nt. (To Tonyatalking

to a skater) Stop talking toher! That girl is your enemy. You’renot here to make friends.

Tonya and the girl skate toward the exit. Lavona jumps up.

LAVONA (CONT’D)

Where the hell are you going?

6.

TONYA:

I have to go to the bathroom.

LAVONA:

Don’t tell me what you have to do. Ipaid for you to skate. You’re gonnastay on the ice and skate.

The other girl heads off. Tonya looks toward the bathroom.

LAVONA (CONT’D)

Get over here.

Tonya recognizes the look on her mother’s face. She skatesbackward, away from Lavona.

LAVONA (CONT’D)

You’ll have to come off the ice

sometime. Ya hear me? I’ll be righthere waiting.

Tonya knows this is true. She puts all her attention on the ice.

Then she twirls IMPOSSIBLY HIGH, landing perfectly.

Tonya stops suddenly. She drops her head. Urine runs downTonya’s leg.

Tonya looks to Lavona who crosses her arms & watches coldly.

LAVONA (CONT’D)

Skate wet.

15 INT. HARDING HOME -DAY -CLOSE ON: MODERN DAY LAVONA 15

LAVONA:

To hear her tell it, I would operateon her daily without anaesthesia. Onefuckin’ time. I hit her one time, witha hairbrush.

16 INT. PRACTICE RINK -BATHROOM -OREGON -DAY 16

Lavona WHACKS 8 year old Tonya with a hairbrush.

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