I, Tonya Page #2

LAVONA:

F***ing terrible, scum sucking, loser!

A female skating judge walks in, catching them. Tonya and Lavonalook up at her, caught.

7.

LAVONA (V.O.)

A child sometimes wants to be

corrected.

17 INT. HARDING HOME -DAY 17

Lavona kicks over a tall chair 8 year old Tonya is sitting in.

LAVONA:

Answer me when I talk to you.

18 INT. HARDING HOME -DAY -CLOSE ON: MODERN DAY LAVONA 18

LAVONA:

When I felt this, I gave hercriticism.

19 INT/EXT. LAVONA’S CAR -PARKING LOT -NIGHT 19

Through the car’s BACK WINDOW, we see Lavona slap 8 year oldTonya across the face.

20 INT. HARDING HOME -DAY -CLOSE ON: MODERN DAY LAVONA 20

LAVONA:

The thing about Tonya was, she skatedbetter when she was enraged. If therewas no “You can’t do it” type ofthing, she wouldn’t do it.

The bird poops on Lavona’s shoulder. Lavona keeps on talking.

LAVONA (CONT’D)

On the ice, I was there to inspireher. Off the ice she was a happy, welladjusted girl.

21 EXT. WOODS -OREGON -MORNING 21

Close on:
Tonya, 12ish. She raises a gun MALEVOLENTLY and fires.

BAM!!

A rabbit hops out of the way.

8.

22 EXT. WOODS -OREGON -MOMENTS LATER 22

Tonya and her father AL, 48, walk through the Oregon woods.

TONYA:

Dang!

AL:

It was a clean shot, Tonnie.

TONYA:

I know it. I was aiming for her eyeslike you said. Otherwise I coulda gother probably.

AL:

No sense in shooting a bunny if youshoot half the meat off her.

TONYA:

When I get older I’m gonna work in anoffice and have a deadline.

AL:

I thought you wanted to do IceCapades.

TONYA:

I can do both. Yesterday mom made mewear my skating costume to school. Thered one with the tassels. Everyonemade fun of me.

AL:

Why’d she do that?

TONYA:

Cause they were taking school picturesand she said we could use the samplesfor competitions. I told mom thatMargie Sussman called us white trashand mom told me

23 EXT. SCHOOL -DAY 23

Lavona with Tonya in her yellow skating outfit.

LAVONA:

Spit in her milk!!

9.

24 EXT. WOODS -OREGON -CONTINUOUS 24

BACK TO:
Tonya and Al

AL:

I hope you didn’t do that.

TONYA:

Not yet...

He takes Tonya’s gun, reloads it.

TONYA (CONT’D)

Do you love her?

AL:

I guess. Do you?

TONYA:

...Yeah.

AL:

Like you love me?

He hands the gun back to her.

TONYA:

Nope.

Al nods. She aims. She fires.

A bunny flies backward, dead.

25 INT. PRACTICE ICE RINK -OREGON -DAY 25

A DAINTY SKATER glides gracefully on one leg, arms extended.

Tonya barrels past, a bull in a china shop. She jumps and landsa triple. She looks to Lavona, standing with Diane.

Lavona ignores her.

LAVONA:

What does she need a f***ing fur coatfor? I don’t have a f***ing fur coat.

DIANE:

Because it’s not just skating. Thejudges want figure skaters to be-

LAVONA:

Rich, prissy, a-holes

10.

DIANE:

Well rounded. It’s a question offitting in.

LAVONA:

She’s 12 and she lands fuckingtriples. She doesn’t fit in. Shestands out.

DIANE:

She stands out because she looks like

she chops wood every morning.

LAVONA:

She does chop wood every..?

DIANE:

Lavona. You want to work with me a

little? 23 skaters I train so I can

coach Tonya full time.

LAVONA:

And I waitress full time to pay foryour coaching.

DIANE:

Yes, but she’s not my child.

LAVONA:

No she’s mine. And I’m not throwing mymoney away so she can fit in withthese little shits. You can dress up apig however you want, ya know what I’msaying?

DIANE:

It’s not about fitting in. It’s abouthow she’s growing up.

LAVONA:

Lick my ass, Diane. She can do afucking triple.

And in the background, Tonya does.

26 EXT. HARDING HOME -EVENING 26

Al skins rabbits as Tonya, in skates, dances around the yard.

TONYA (V.O.)

We didn’t have a lotta fun. We never

went to Disneyland or on trips.

(MORE)

11.

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

If I wanted something, I hada come up

with a way to get it.

27 INT. PRACTICE RINK -OREGON -LOBBY AREA -DAY 27

Tonya, in a ratty rabbit fur coat walks past girls also in furs.

SNOOTY GIRL:

What kind of a coat is that?

Tonya shoots her the finger.

28 EXT. HARDING HOME -FRONT YARD -DAY 28

Al heads out as Lavona shouts by the front door.

LAVONA:

Go on! Get out! I thought you’d neverleave!

Tonya stands with her father by his packed up truck.

TONYA:

I’m sorry.

AL:

It’s not your fault, Tonnie.

TONYA:

Then take me with you.

AL:

I’m gonna be working 12 hour nightshifts. I can’t look after you.

TONYA:

You could if you want to.

He gets in the truck, starts the motor. She holds onto his arm,

not letting him go.

AL:

We’ll talk on the phone. It’ll allwork out.

AL (CONT’D)

You gotta move now, honey.

She takes his hand and pats her head with it.

12.

AL (CONT’D)

Tonnie, please.

Then he pushes her backwards. She stares, dumbfounded.

TONYA:

You’re not gonna leave me here...

He stares ahead.

TONYA (CONT’D)

Dad..?

He drives off. She watches his truck till it’s out of sight.

TONYA (CONT’D)

Take me with you!!

Lavona watches silently. Then goes inside and shuts the door.

29 INT. PRACTICE RINK -OREGON -DAY 29

CLOSE ON:
The razor sharp edge of Tonya’s skate racing atridiculous speed. The sound of blade scraping against ice.

Tonya, 15, (now played by the same actress who plays modern dayTonya) with short curly hair and braces, prepares for a trickyjump but another skater crosses nearby. Tonya STOPS, skates overto the girl.

TONYA:

You’re. In. My. Way.

Cowed, the other skater moves aside. Then Tonya JUMPS.

At the other end of the rink, 18 year old JEFF GILLOOLEY watchesat the rail with his friend, SHAWN, 18, obese.

JEFF:

Who’s that?

Shawn squints, ketchup from his hotdog falls on his shirt.

30 SPLIT SCREEN:
MODERN DAY JEFF & MODERN DAY TONYA. 30

TONYA:

We met in an ice rink where I was

practicing. I was 15. I was there 8

hours a day, skating. I don’t know

what he was doing there.

13.

31 INT. PRACTICE RINK -OREGON -DAY 31

Tonya and Jeff chat awkwardly on opposite sides of the rail.

JEFF (V.O.)

I was young. And I had no gamewhatsoever.

Jeff, nervous, all thumbs, tries to appear super cool:

JEFF:

So... do you like food?

Tonya hesitates, then nods. In the background, Lavona stopspouring a drink and watches.

32 INT. HARDING HOME -BATHROOM -DAY 32

Tonya uses a curling iron while applying blue eye shadow. Herstepbrother CHRIS, late 20’s, watches, hand on his crotch.

TONYA (V.O.)

Back then my step-brother Creepy Chriswas living with us. I remember Jeffand my’s first date cause I had CreepyChris arrested earlier that day.

Creepy Chris moves closer, his hands slowly cupping her breasts.

In one quick motion Tonya whirls round, WALLOPING Chris acrossthe face with the curling iron. He goes down HARD. She beats himwith it.

33 INT. TELEVISION SCREEN -DAY 33

SHAWN:

Jeff did consult me regarding

Tonya. He asked me what I thought

and I said, ‘Go for it man.’ Not to

be a bragger or anything but if I

told Jeff, “You could do better,

man’ no one would be talking about

them today.

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