In Todd Haynes’ Netflix drama May December, the subject of a decades-long tabloid sex scandal is visited by the famous actress who will play her in the movie.
Gracie Atherton Yu, played by Julianne Moore, was 36 years old when she was caught having sex with Joe, a 13-year-old boy she worked with at a pet store. After giving birth to her first child in prison, Gracie began living with Joe (Charles Melton). Joe (Charles Melton) is now the same age Gracie was when they first met. Gracie and Joe have three children, the youngest of whom is about to graduate from her high school. When Elizabeth Her Berry (Natalie Portman) arrives at her home on the waterfront to study her own subjects and sail on her boat, she has become accustomed to a quiet suburban life.
If this story feels ripped from the headlines, it’s because the film is loosely inspired by the Mary Kay LeTourneau tabloid scandal of the late 1990s. Letourneau, a 34-year-old elementary school teacher, began a sexual relationship with 12-year-old student Vili Fualaau. After a nine-month affair with Faarau, Letournau was arrested and pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree child rape. She gave birth to Fualaau’s first child in 1997 while awaiting her sentencing. Their second child was born in 1998, and Letourneau served seven and a half years in prison. Letourneau married Faarau in 2005 when she was 21 years old. The two remained married until 2019. Letourneau died of cancer a year later at the age of 58.
In the wake of this scandal, a television movie was made on USA Network in 2000, starring Penelope Ann Miller as Letourneau and Omar Anguiano as Faalau. Letourneau worked with the film’s producers and even spoke with Miller on the phone to provide insight into the role.
In directing May December, Haynes said he initially tried to ignore the similarities between the film and the real-life Letourneau scandal.
“At first, I put that aside and started out like, ‘Okay, let’s really explain how Sammy Birch’s script differs from Mary Kay LeTourneau’s story, the specific choices and differences.’ ,” Haynes said in an interview with The Daily. beast. “But in the end there was no way not to.”
Haynes believes that Letourneau “was a very different character than Gracie,” but added, “There were some things about Mary Kay Letourneau’s idiosyncrasies that were really helpful.” One example of this is their voices, with Gracie having a noticeable lisp that fluctuates throughout the film.
“Mary Kay Letourneau has a very charming lazy tongue,” Haynes said. “That’s the source of Lisp.”
In the film, Gracie is portrayed as “unapologetic” and reminds Elizabeth that her life choices are “safe.” Letourneau made a similar pretense, saying in a 2018 biography feature on A&E Network: No, it’s not. ”
Another aspect of “May December” that reflects Letourneau’s life is the dynamic between the woman’s older and younger children. In “May December,” Gracie has three children with Joe and many more with her ex-husband, Tom (D.W. Moffett). Her older and her younger children, who had an awkward encounter at a restaurant, are nearly 20 years apart. Letourneau similarly had four children with her first husband Steve Letourneau, and she has since had two more children with Faarau. Her youngest child was born in 1998 and her oldest grandchild was born in 2010.
In a 2018 special, Letourneau said: Although they are adults and have independent lives, they wanted to be together for the first few years. ”
“May December” is now available on Netflix.
