Traveling back in time! Margot Robbie was nearly unrecognizable as Tonya Harding on the Atlanta set of the biopic about the disgraced Olympic figure skater, I, Tonya. The actress, 26, was photographed on Saturday, January 21, in a red checkered blouse, red pants and pink sneakers with short, voluminous ‘90s hair.
The Suicide Squad star is back to work after getting married in Australia over the holidays. She was pictured walking with Sebastian Stan, who plays Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly. Stan sported a striped long-sleeved polo and light jeans in the pics.
On Monday, it was just revealed that up-and-comer Caitlin Carver has been cast to costar as Harding’s rival Nancy Kerrigan. McKenna Grace has also signed on to the film to play the young Harding.
The movie follows the story of Harding’s infamous 1994 attack on fellow figure skater Kerrigan. Seven weeks before the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Kerrigan was attacked and her knee was beaten with a baton while leaving a practice session in Detroit. It was later revealed that the assailant was hired by Harding’s then estranged husband, Gillooly, and her bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt. Kerrigan’s leg was badly bruised but not broken by the assault, which became a media sensation.
While the U.S. Olympic Committee considered banning Harding from the team, she eventually was allowed to compete in Norway. Kerrigan luckily recovered and also skated in the Olympics, taking home the silver medal. Harding placed eighth after a snafu with the laces on her ice skates and a lackluster performance.
In February 1994, Gillooly , who split from Harding in 1993, accepted a plea bargain in exchange for his testimony against Harding and served a one-year stint in prison. While Gillooly told the FBI that he had discussed the plan with his ex-wife beforehand, Harding claimed in court that she only found out about it afterwards and pleaded guilty to hindering the prosecution. She was sentenced to three years’ probation, 500 hours of community service and a $160,000 fine. She was banned for life from all U.S. Figure Skating Association events and stripped of all her titles.
Last week, Robbie’s dramatic transformation into Harding was seen on set for the first time. She rocked a blue sweater, high-waisted jeans and a perm with bangs, and even appeared to be wearing prosthetics on her face to transform into the ex-Olympian.
