The actress gave details about her character's perspective in the controversial film.
Recently, actress Julianne Moore shared in an interview the challenges she faced when giving life to the character of Gracie in May December (also known as Secrets of a Scandal). It is a character that, from her perspective, tells a misunderstood love story, while in the eyes of Elizabeth - played by Natalie Portman - and the viewers, it becomes a terrifying plot of abuse.
The story (based on a true story) revolves around Gracie, a woman who gained public recognition for a very controversial case. At 36 years old, she began a romantic relationship with a student of hers, who was 13 years old. The woman was taken to prison, but after serving her sentence she went back to look for the young man. When he came of age, they got married and had three children.
The film, directed by Todd Haynes, has generated controversy for its difficult subject matter and the way it was approached.
"The hardest part is having someone play [my character]. They have to send their point of view out into the world, give it to Natalie to look at. She's saying, 'You're going to play me in a movie. This is who I am. This is my story.' And for her, it's a big love story," Moore said, highlighting the dual perspectives present in the film.
Two visions of the same story
In May December, Moore embodies a Gracie who sees no crime in her actions. From her unique perspective, they lived a fairy tale where she was the princess and fell in love to live happily ever after. The actress underlines the tension and volatility present when justifying a transgression from the perspective of the character, who insists that they were in love.
Moore points out that, in Gracie's mind, rooted in traditional ideas of gender, she saw herself as a girl, a princess, and he as the man. This unique take on the role is reflected in aspects such as her speech and lisp, elements she says were associated with childhood and which, along with Portman, brought their respective characters to life in the short filming period of twenty-three days.
Exploring Morality
Natalie Portman shares Moore's perspective on May December. In a previous interview, the actress emphasized that the film does not seek to be moral, but rather offers an intriguing insight into the motivations behind someone committing a crime and how this impacts the performer.
"How does it affect you? How does it alter your morality and your ethics? Can art be immoral? Can you portray a crime without justifying it or exploiting it?" the actress asks.
Portman concludes that the film throws a dangerous question into the world about whether art can be amoral, exploring what lies at the heart of a person and how actors dive into their roles to understand them.
The actress reflects on the willingness of actors to delve into characters who depict crimes and questions how far they would be willing to go to truly understand them. "It's very debatable how much you would be willing to go into a character to truly understand them," concludes Portman.
