Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore respond to May December inspiration’s criticism

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Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman have responded to Vili Fualauu’s criticism of May December, which is said to have taken inspiration from the latter’s infamous relationship with Mary Kay Letourneau.

The two actors co-star in director Todd Haynes’s latest dark comedy about a former convict Gracie (Moore), who was jailed for having sexual relations with her young son’s school-aged friend, Joe (portrayed as an adult by Charles Melton). Portman plays actor Elizabeth who’s set to portray Gracie in an upcoming film.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fualauu said that he was “offended” by the movie and accused it of being a “ripoff” of his life story.

“I’m offended by the entire project and the lack of respect given to me – who lived through a real story and is still living it,” the now-40-year-old said, claiming that he was never contacted by the May December team.

Addressing Fualuu’s comments from the red carpet of Sunday’s Golden Globes, Moore told Entertainment Tonight that she was “very sorry he feels that way”.

“Todd was always very clear when we were working on this movie that this was an original story, that this was a story about these characters,” she explained. “So that’s how we looked at it, too. This was our document, we created these characters from the page and together.”

In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Portman shared similar sentiments.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said of Fualauu’s comments. “It’s not based on them, it’s… obviously, their story influenced the culture that we all grew up in and influenced the idea. But it’s fictional characters that are really brought to life by Julianne Moore and Charles Melton so beautifully, and yeah, it’s its own story, it’s not meant to be a biopic.”

May December shares undeniable similarities to Letourneau’s story – a former school teacher convicted of raping then-12-year-old Fualauu when she was 34. They got married in 2005, a year after Letourneau was released from prison.

They divorced in 2019, a year before Letourneau died of colon cancer, aged 58. They share two daughters, one of whom Letourneau gave birth to in prison.

Screenwriter Samy Burch previously acknowledged Letourneau’s story as inspiration.

The May December team did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.