Margot Robbie and Allison Janney Share What It Was Like Playing Tonya and LaVona

@ 2026 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All rights reserved

Margot Robbie and Allison Janney Share What It Was Like Playing Tonya and LaVona
During a Q&A after a special screening of I, Tonya, Margot Robbie and Allison Janney — who play the mother-daughter duo in the film — talk about how they approached these notoriously tragicomic characters. 
play icon
 Tracy E. Gilchrist
          
          Dec 12, 2017
          
        
Tracy E. Gilchrist
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
 See Full Bio 
At a recent Los Angeles screening of Golden Globe-nominated  I, Tonya, the new darkly comic biopic from director Craig Gillespie and writer Steven Rogers about disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding, the film's stars Margot Robbie and Allison Janney (appearing with the director and screenwriter) discussed how they developed their characters of Harding (Robbie) and her controlling mother, LaVona Golden. 

        
        FROM OUR SPONSORS
        
    

        
        The Latest
        
    
People
        This heartwarming Mother’s Day ad featuring a trans teen and his mom might make you cry
    The Lambda Legal campaign spotlights Sonu’s relationship with his mother while challenging right-wing rhetoric portraying trans youth as threats rather than children.
Christopher Wiggins
Religion
        Black LGBTQ+ survivors speak out about conversion therapy in religious spaces
    Two Black gay men share how conversion therapy rooted in religious teachings shaped their lives—and the lasting trauma these practices continue to cause in Black communities.
Mashaun D. Simon
Opinion
        If anyone should get a motel room, it’s Senator John Kennedy and Donald Trump
    The Louisiana Republican's Obama and Colbert antigay smear campaign surely earned Trump’s undying love.
John Casey
Opinion
        Dear Kash Patel: Quit your job. Get help
    Opinion: The signs of alcohol addiction and obsession with image control are all too clear to queer people, as is a clear cry for help, writes Josh Ackley.
Josh Ackley

        
        More For You
        
        VIDEO: A man living with HIV discusses his journey to fatherhood
    
Desiree Guerrero
Jun 10, 2025

        In this exclusive clip from +Life’s upcoming Father’s Day edition of +Talk, Dr. David Malebranche, Joseph Kibler, and host Karl Schmid discuss the scientific progress that's enabling people living with HIV to have healthy, HIV-negative chidren of their own. Keep Reading →

        Queer celebs advocate for trans equality: ​'Administrations are four years. We are forever.'
    
Ricky Cornish
Apr 01, 2025

        Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesGilbert Flores/Variety via Getty ImagesJon Kopaloff/Getty Images for GLAAD
    
  These queer stars are reminding everyone in the LGBTQ+ community to stay strong and resilient. Keep Reading →

        Behind the scenes at Dylan Mulvaney's Advocate cover shoot
    
the Editors of The Advocate
Mar 20, 2025
Videographer: Miguel Torres

        Trans and queer joy takes center stage in our current print issue, as our way of protesting against the ongoing legislative attacks on this vulnerable community by the Trump Administration and other far-right officials across the nation. To experience some of that joy for yourself, check out the latest episode of Cover to Cover, our web series that takes you behind the scenes of The Advocate and Out magazine's cover shoots. Keep Reading →

        Hollywood unites for LGBTQ+ rights against rising Trump
    
Ricky Cornish
Mar 11, 2025
Dylan Mulvaney Monet X Change Bobby Berk

        Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage / Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation / Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation
    
  The LGBTQ+ community isn't afraid. Keep Reading →

        Editor's Letter: These inspiring LGBTQ+ youth are educating America
    
Desiree Guerrero
Oct 22, 2024

        Being a kid isn’t always easy. Then add the experience of being queer, trans, or nonbinary to one’s adolescent years. For many it can be downright awful, especially considering the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric from the far right that continues to add toxicity, hate, and division to our nation and world. Keep Reading →

        Most Popular
        
National
        Kash Patel sued a reporter over drinking allegations. So she dropped another FBI alcohol bombshell
    The escalating controversy now includes allegations of heavy drinking, criminal leak investigations, personalized bourbon bottles, and fears of retaliation inside the FBI.
Christopher Wiggins
News
        Travel blogger pleads ‘We’re not just headlines, we’re people’ aboard hantavirus-plagued cruise ship
    A Boston-based travel creator says passengers aboard the outbreak-hit vessel are “people with families” as the ship continues toward the Canary Islands. But what is the virus?
Quispe López
States
        Ohio Republicans are trying to strip transgender adults of health insurance coverage
    The bill would bar many forms of gender-affirming care from Medicaid coverage and pressure Ohio cities to drop trans-inclusive employee health plans.
Ken Schneck - The Buckeye Flame
States
        Colorado quickly rewrites & passes new conversion therapy ban to get around Supreme Court ruling
    Colorado lawmakers are betting a rewritten, “viewpoint-neutral” approach can preserve protections the Supreme Court put at risk.
Christopher Wiggins
News
        Instagram censorship crackdown sparks alarm among LGBTQ+ creators
    Meta denies claims it unfairly targets LGBTQ+ users as critics point to suspended queer and sexual wellness accounts.
Jacob Ogles
News
        Indya Moore says Okra Project’s former director’s illegal actions were “likely trauma-rooted”
    Upon Dominique Morgan’s conviction for embezzling funds, the nonprofit expresses sympathy and sadness for its former executive director.
Desiree Guerrero

Site Navigation

Margot Robbie and Allison Janney Share What It Was Like Playing Tonya and LaVona

During a Q&A after a special screening of I, Tonya, Margot Robbie and Allison Janney — who play the mother-daughter duo in the film — talk about how they approached these notoriously tragicomic characters.

The Latest

This heartwarming Mother’s Day ad featuring a trans teen and his mom might make you cry

The Lambda Legal campaign spotlights Sonu’s relationship with his mother while challenging right-wing rhetoric portraying trans youth as threats rather than children.

Black LGBTQ+ survivors speak out about conversion therapy in religious spaces

Two Black gay men share how conversion therapy rooted in religious teachings shaped their lives—and the lasting trauma these practices continue to cause in Black communities.

If anyone should get a motel room, it’s Senator John Kennedy and Donald Trump

The Louisiana Republican's Obama and Colbert antigay smear campaign surely earned Trump’s undying love.

Dear Kash Patel: Quit your job. Get help

Opinion: The signs of alcohol addiction and obsession with image control are all too clear to queer people, as is a clear cry for help, writes Josh Ackley.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

A Mom Proves She's OK With Her Lesbian Daughter in 'Becks' Clip

Zara Larsson's new album is so queer, and she's not afraid to admit it

'Sauvage' Shows the Gritty Life of a Gay Sex Worker

These Lesbians in Love Will Melt Your Heart

'Maybe Tomorrow': A Filipino Lesbian Film on Friendship and Love

More For You

VIDEO: A man living with HIV discusses his journey to fatherhood

Queer celebs advocate for trans equality: 'Administrations are four years. We are forever.'

Behind the scenes at Dylan Mulvaney's Advocate cover shoot

Hollywood unites for LGBTQ+ rights against rising Trump

Editor's Letter: These inspiring LGBTQ+ youth are educating America

Most Popular

Kash Patel sued a reporter over drinking allegations. So she dropped another FBI alcohol bombshell

The escalating controversy now includes allegations of heavy drinking, criminal leak investigations, personalized bourbon bottles, and fears of retaliation inside the FBI.

Travel blogger pleads ‘We’re not just headlines, we’re people’ aboard hantavirus-plagued cruise ship

A Boston-based travel creator says passengers aboard the outbreak-hit vessel are “people with families” as the ship continues toward the Canary Islands. But what is the virus?

Ohio Republicans are trying to strip transgender adults of health insurance coverage

The bill would bar many forms of gender-affirming care from Medicaid coverage and pressure Ohio cities to drop trans-inclusive employee health plans.

Colorado quickly rewrites & passes new conversion therapy ban to get around Supreme Court ruling

Colorado lawmakers are betting a rewritten, “viewpoint-neutral” approach can preserve protections the Supreme Court put at risk.

Indya Moore says Okra Project’s former director’s illegal actions were “likely trauma-rooted”

Upon Dominique Morgan’s conviction for embezzling funds, the nonprofit expresses sympathy and sadness for its former executive director.

Latest Stories

Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week.

Margot Robbie and Allison Janney Share What It Was Like Playing Tonya and LaVona

During a Q&A after a special screening of I, Tonya, Margot Robbie and Allison Janney — who play the mother-daughter duo in the film — talk about how they approached these notoriously tragicomic characters.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

The Lambda Legal campaign spotlights Sonu’s relationship with his mother while challenging right-wing rhetoric portraying trans youth as threats rather than children.

Two Black gay men share how conversion therapy rooted in religious teachings shaped their lives—and the lasting trauma these practices continue to cause in Black communities.

The Louisiana Republican's Obama and Colbert antigay smear campaign surely earned Trump’s undying love.

Opinion: The signs of alcohol addiction and obsession with image control are all too clear to queer people, as is a clear cry for help, writes Josh Ackley.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

More For You

Most Popular

The escalating controversy now includes allegations of heavy drinking, criminal leak investigations, personalized bourbon bottles, and fears of retaliation inside the FBI.

A Boston-based travel creator says passengers aboard the outbreak-hit vessel are “people with families” as the ship continues toward the Canary Islands. But what is the virus?

The bill would bar many forms of gender-affirming care from Medicaid coverage and pressure Ohio cities to drop trans-inclusive employee health plans.

Colorado lawmakers are betting a rewritten, “viewpoint-neutral” approach can preserve protections the Supreme Court put at risk.

Meta denies claims it unfairly targets LGBTQ+ users as critics point to suspended queer and sexual wellness accounts.

Upon Dominique Morgan’s conviction for embezzling funds, the nonprofit expresses sympathy and sadness for its former executive director.