I, Tonya

2018

Written by Allison’s longtime friend Steven Rogers and directed by Craig Gillespie, “I, Tonya” tells the story of talented ice skater Tonya Harding, from her abusive childhood in Portland to her tumultuous skating career and ultimate disgrace after her association with the assault on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The film states that it is based on "contradictory" and "true" interviews with Harding and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, suggesting they are unreliable narrators and requiring the viewer to decide for themselves whether to take the film as the truth or as a version concocted by Harding herself. The film also features “mockumentary” style interviews and characters regularly break the fourth wall. Allison plays the role of Lavona Harding, Tonya’s toxic mother.

Shot in Macon, Georgia in January 2017 on just an $11 million dollar budget, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017. Ultimately purchased by Neon and 30West, the film was distributed for wide release in the U.S. on December 8, 2017 and in the U.K in February 2018.

Appearing on the screen for just 15 minutes, Allison’s powerhouse performance garnered her the Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild, Independent Spirit Award, and the Academy Award for Supporting Actress.