Carey Mulligan plays one of the two New York Times journalists who exposed the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein in the new film She Said.
And in a recent interview at the Los Angeles premiere, the British actress confessed to feeling a ‘weight of responsibility’ to do her real-life character justice, as well as the victims of Weinstein.
It tuns out this is the first time Mulligan has ever played a person who is still alive.
Heavy role: Carey Mulligan, 37, confessed she felt the ‘weight of responsibility’ playing one of the two New York Times journalists who exposed the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein while shooting the biographical drama film She Said; actress is pictured at premiere of She Said in London on October 14
The Oscar-nominated actress portrays Megan Twohey, who along with her NYT colleague Jodi Kantor, played by Zoe Kazan, broke the Weinstein story in 2017.
Their investigative work ended up exposing the powerful film producer’s history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women, which is said to have gone on for three decades.
The allegations also served as a catalyst for the burgeoning #MeToo movement and eventually resulted in Weinstein being sentenced to 23 years in prison, although he could be facing more prison time with a new trial in Los Angeles and more sexual assault charges in London.
Directed by Maria Schrader from a screenplay written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, She Said is based on the book of the same name by the two journalists that was released in 2019.
In She Said, Mulligan (left) plays Megan Twohey and Zoe Kazan portrays Jodi Kantor, the two journalists who broke the Weinstein story in 2017 and then chronicled their investigative work in a book of the same name that was released two years later
Challenging: ‘I think we felt that weight of responsibility,’ the British actress said of playing a real-life character, all while having the real victims still fresh in her mind
‘I think we felt that weight of responsibility, and I felt that on other jobs,’ Mulligan, 37, said of her role within a story that’s still so fresh in people’s minds. ‘I think particularly when you play a real person, you have that, but the stories that we were telling are so real and so recent, and not just to the people that were involved in the film, but to viewers, to an audience.’
She added, ‘You’re aware that this story will impact people who go and see it in the cinema, so I think we all felt like it was a big task and we took it very seriously.’
The film not only lays out the details of how the two journalists broke the Weinstein story, but also how the story has impacted their lives.
In order to get an up-close look at both sides of that story, Mulligan was able to meet Twohey and get ‘unfettered access’ to her life. While spending quality time together, the two ladies ended up hitting it off and bonding with each other.
‘I’ve never played a person who’s still alive,’ the London, England native said. ‘I played real people, but I’ve been reading autobiographies, so this was really exciting, and she’s just the coolest person. So I wanted to be her friend. I wanted her to like me.’
Twohey and Kantor ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on the Weinstein case.
Acclaimed real-life journalists: Jodi Kantor (left )and Megan Twohey (right) ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on the Weinstein case
In all, more than 80 women came forward and made allegations of sexual harassment and/or rape against Weinstein. Initially, he was convicted on charges of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape in New York in 2020, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
He is currently on trial in Los Angeles for other sexual assault claims as he prepares to face more charges in London.
Along with Mulligan and Kazan, the film also stars Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Morton, Ashley Judd, Sean Cullen, Angela Yeoh. Tom Pelphrey, Adam Shapiro, Anastasia Barzee, James Austin Johnson, Kelly McQuail, Sarah Ann Masse, and Mike Houston as Harvey Weinstein.
After making its premiere at the 60th New York Film Festival on October 13, and the BFI London Film Festival the following day, the film debuted in Los Angeles at the 2022 AFI Fest on Friday, November 4.
She Said is scheduled to hit theaters across the U.S. on November 18.
Making a splash: After making its premiere at the 60th New York Film Festival on October 13, She Said is slated to hit theaters across the U.S. on November 18; Mulligan and Kazan are pictured in a scene from She Said