Caitlin Carver is set to star opposite Margot Robbie in Tonya Harding biopic ‘I, Tonya’.
The ‘Paper Towns’ star is expected to play champion figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in the movie, which is about the controversial life of two-time Olympian and two-time Skate America Champion Tonya, according to Deadline.
Margot, 26, is playing Tonya who was involved in one of the most infamous scandals in sporting history.
The professional ice skater’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and her bodyguard Shawn Eckhardt infamously hired a man to try and break her rival Nancy’s right leg at the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships in Detroit in an attempt to stop her competing at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.
Although the blow – which was struck above Kerrigan’s right knee – did not result in a breakage, Kerrigan was left with a severely bruised leg and had to quit the national competition, which Harding went on to win.
The attack caused a media frenzy that was known as ‘The Whack Heard Around The World’.
Nancy recovered from her injury and went on to compete at the Winter Olympics where she won a Silver Medal, whereas Tonya finished eighth.
The assailant, Shane Stant, was paid $6,500 to carry out the attack and was subsequently caught by police and his testimony led to the arrest of Gillooly and Eckhardt, who both served prison time.
Harding was also arrested and given a lifetime ban from the sport by the US Figure Skating Association in 1994.
It was discovered that she knew of the attack before it took place but avoided jail time by pleading guilty to conspiring to hinder the prosecution of the attackers.
The stellar cast also includes Sebastian Stan from ‘Captain America: Civil War’, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson and Paul Walter Hauser.
Mckenna Grace is also appearing as a young Harding.
Shooting started earlier this month and as well as her lead role in the blockbuster, Margot is acting as a producer on the project along with her husband Tom Ackerley, while Craig Gillespie is directing from a screenplay penned by Steve Rogers.
Interesting, Tonya’s fame did not end when her career on the ice did.
The now 46-year-old blonde went on to become the star of a celebrity sex tape with her former spouse Gillooly.
Footage of the pair engaged in intercourse was leaked onto the web inspiring the couple to release it themselves. They sold the footage to Penthouse Home Video and it was released in September 1994 as the ‘Wedding Night’ tape, as Tonya was seen in a bridal gown, which was actually a Halloween costume.
She also had a brief career as a boxer in the early 2000s.
Caitlin Carver to join I, Tonya
