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One of the inspirations for the movie May December, Vili Fualaau, spoke up recently about his criticism of the film.
Fualaau is known for his relationship with Mary Kay Letourneau, who was 34 when he was 12, Indie Wire reports. Letourneau pleaded guilty to two counts of child rape due to the circumstances.
Vili Fualaau critical of May December movie's accuracies
May December has a similar theme, about an older woman involved with a much younger man. Julianne Moore plays the older woman, Gracie Atherton-Yoo, who works at a pet store. From there, she preyed on the 13-year-old Joe, played by Charles Melton. Elizabeth Berry, played by Natalie Portman, comes to town to study the couple for a movie.
“I'm still alive and well,” Fualaau, who's 40 now, told the Hollywood Reporter.
He mentioned this regarding feeling like he could've added valuable input to the movie.
“If they had reached out to me, we could have worked together on a masterpiece. Instead, they chose to do a ripoff of my original story,” he said.
Fualaau added, “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.”
He seems to think the movie wasn't as simple as the movie suggests.
“I love movies — good movies,” he said. “And I admire ones that capture the essence and complications of real-life events. You know, movies that allow you to see or realize something new every time you watch them.”
“Those kinds of writers and directors — someone who can do that — would be perfect to work with, because my story is not nearly as simple as this movie [portrays],” he said.
As for Letourneau, she passed away from cancer in 2020.
Vili Fualaau may have been critical of May December, but it struck a chord with audiences and critics. It's now up for four Golden Globe nominations.
