West
'May December' movie on Mary Kay Letourneau 'offended' student lover Vili Fualaau
Vili Fualaau, the now-40-year-old whose illicit relationship and post-conviction marriage to his sixth-grade teacher made international news, said he is “offended” by the hit Netflix movie based on the ’90s scandal.
Although the movie diverges from its real-life counterpart, with the couple meeting in a pet shop rather than a school, “May December” writer Samy Burch cited the Mary Kay Letourneau case as her inspiration for the critically acclaimed 2023 film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Letourneau, then 34, was initially sentenced to six months on two counts of second-degree child rape after she became pregnant with then-12-year-old Fualaau’s child.
GYPSY ROSE TAKES BLANCHARD BECOMES OVERNIGHT INTERNET STAR AFTER PRISON RELEASE
Convicted child rapist Mary Kay Letourneau died of cancer in 2020 when she was 58 years old, leaving behind her then-37-year-old ex-husband, Vili Fualaau, and their two daughters. Georgia, the younger daughter, is expected to deliver a baby boy in the coming months. (Ron Wurzer and Reuters)
She would give birth to their first child after pleading guilty and awaiting sentencing, then conceive their second while breaking the terms of her post-release supervision after serving a reduced three-month sentence. Letourneau gave birth to their second daughter during her subsequent seven-year prison stint at Washington Corrections Center for Women, and the pair married upon her release in 2004.
Fualaau, who divorced Letourneau in 2015 and remarried after her death from cancer in 2020, told The Hollywood Reporter that the movie could have been “a masterpiece” – if directors had ever reached out to consult him.
“I’m still alive and well,” Fualaau told the outlet. “If they had reached out to me, we could have worked together… Instead, they chose to do a ripoff of my original story.”
Fualaau still lives in the Seattle area, where he and Letourneau settled after their widely publicized nuptials, according to the outlet, and would have gladly collaborated with filmmakers.
MANHUNT UNDERWAY FOR ‘PERSON OF INTEREST’ IN INDIANA LAWYER’S DISAPPEARANCE AFTER CROSS-COUNTRY TRIP
Mary Letourneau, then 43, Vili Fualaau, then 22, and their two children are pictured driving along the beach from their home on May 8, 2005, in the Seattle suburb Normandy Park, Washington. (Ron Wurzer/Getty Images)
“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 added.
He managed to stay out of the limelight after Letourneau’s death, keeping the identity of his new partner a secret. But last year, his second daughter with the embattled teacher, now 24, announced her pregnancy – which will make Fualaau a grandfather at 40 years old.
Fualaau stressed that he was not opposed to the concept of a film surrounding his remarkable story. But the portrayal in “May December,” he said, was far more “simple” than his reality.
“I love movies – good movies… 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,” he told the outlet. “Those kinds of writers and directors – someone who can do that – would be perfect to work with.”
HANDWRITING EXPOSED OBA CHANDLER’S HORRIFIC FLORIDA MURDERS OF WOMAN, DAUGHTERS FOUND FLOATING IN TAMPA BAY
Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau pose on April 9, 2005, outside their home in Seattle. Fualaau worked as a DJ and Letourneau as a legal assistant after their marriage, People magazine reported. (Mark Greenberg/AP)
Although Burch has publicly cited Letourneau’s case as the jumping off point, Julianne Moore – who played the movie’s lead based off the infamous sex offender – stressed at a November premiere that the movie was “not the story of Mary Kay Letourneau.”
But at the same event, according to The Hollywood Reporter, director Todd Haynes said there were “times when it became very, very helpful to get very specific about the research, and we learned things from that relationship.”
Fualaau’s story has been co-opted for television before, with the USA Network running “All American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story.”
Anne Bremner, the Seattle attorney who befriended Letourneau after successfully defending the Des Moines Police Department and the Highline School District against a lawsuit brought by Fualaau’s family in 2002, told Fox News Digital that “May December” captured the nuance of the couple’s relationship well before Fualaau spoke out against the adaptation:
“Watching that movie, I thought it did well, about the dynamics and the angst Vili and Mary felt about this,” she told Fox News Digital last month. “They had some things in there that were straight out of my case – the pink lipstick, the blush, that [Fualaau is] the seducer. [Fualaau] is so well played by Charles Milton, some people say he should get an Oscar. He’s a child raising children.”
The subject of who was the “pursuer” in the inappropriate school romance was broached repeatedly as the couple’s relationship was dissected in court, Bremner recalled.
In a 2018 interview on Channel Seven’s “Sunday Night in Australia,” taped months before the couple’s legal separation, host Matt Doran repeatedly asked Fualaau “who [was] the boss” in the couple’s initial romance.
The interview was used as inspiration for one of the film’s most harrowing scenes, in which the character played by Moore repeatedly asks Melton’s, “Who was the boss? Who was in charge?”
Later, Melton’s character confronts Moore’s about who really was responsible for their relationship beginning.
Netflix, Burch, Moore, Haynes and Fualaau could not immediately be reached for comment.
Read the full article from Here
The San Francisco Giants wrap up this four-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers this morning.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Adrian Houser, who enters today’s game with a 5.59 ERA, 5.21 FIP, with 35 strikeouts to 21 walks in 56.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 8-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, in which he allowed four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks in three and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Brewers right-handed rookie Coleman Crow, who enters today’s game with a 3.14 ERA, 3.73 FIP, with eight strikeouts to three walks in 14.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Brewers’ 5-4 win over the Houston Astros on Friday, in which he allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits with one strikeout and two walks in four innings.
Who: San Francisco Giants (24-38) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (37-22)
Where: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
AURORA, Colo. — A pedestrian died Thursday morning after he was hit by a car on southbound E-470, the Aurora Police Department said.
The crash happened around 6:19 a.m. Thursday, according to the E-470 Toll Authority, shutting down the highway between 48th and 56th Aves. for approximately three hours. The stretch of road reopened around 9:24 a.m. Thursday, according to the E-470 Toll Authority.
A 34-year-old man intentionally jumped in front of a white Chevrolet Silverado driving on southbound E-470, according to the initial Colorado State Patrol (CSP) investigation.
- Watch the full Denver7 traffic report in the video player below.
Deadly vehicle, pedestrian crash shuts down stretch of SB E-470: Aurora PD
The driver of the Chervolet was not injured and stayed on scene to assist law enforcement with the investigation, CSP said.
Traffic was diverted off E-470 at 48th Ave. during the closure, the E-470 Toll Authority said, advising drivers to find alternate routes. Northbound E-470 remained open during the fatal crash investigation led by CSP.
Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Jayson Luber
Denver7 traffic expert Jayson Luber knows Colorado roads like the back of his hand – but he’s always looking for stories impacting transportation in our state for his Driving You Crazy podcast and beyond. If you’d like to get in touch with Jayson, fill out the form below to send him an email.
Seattle, WA
Seattle paying $2.6M to settle sexual harassment lawsuit filed by four female SPD officers – MyNorthwest.com
The City of Seattle has agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle claims from four female Seattle police officers who accused the Seattle Police Department (SPD) of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and fostering a hostile work environment.
The four women — Kame Spencer, Jean Gulpan, Valerie Carson and Lauren Truscott — filed the lawsuit in July 2024 after their previous tort claim reportedly went unanswered, accusing current and former department leaders of misconduct.
“We are happy to see the City of Seattle take accountability for what was a clear lapse in leadership by the previous administration,” Sumeer Singla, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, stated. “We hope new leadership will improve working conditions for everyone within the Seattle Police Department. Our clients are pleased to put this episode behind them. They are committed to serving the City of Seattle and hope for successful careers within the Seattle Police Department.”
Their attorney, Sumeer Singla, spoke with KIRO host John Curley in March.
“One of our clients had got so bad that she had to be escorted out of the building, because one of the people that she’s accusing of harassing her was in the same building as her, and the department wasn’t helping her out, so she had to find her colleagues to escort her, escort her out of the building, so she wouldn’t run into this guy,” Singla said.
4 female officers filing lawsuit against Seattle, SPD
Among the names listed in the lawsuit was former Police Chief Adrian Diaz, citing him as, at least partially, responsible for creating the aforementioned hostile work environment while being a culprit of sexual and racial discrimination within the department.
Last month, Diaz revealed to “The Jason Rantz Show” on Seattle Red that he is gay and has struggled privately with his identity for the last several years.
“It’s a story that I’ve struggled with over the last four years, that I’m a gay Latino man,” Diaz said in an exclusive interview with Rantz. “You know, it doesn’t bother me. It’s more of my concern for my kids because they’re going to have to deal with a lot of the struggles that I might not have to deal with.”
The plaintiffs claimed the recent revelations by the former police chief are “inconsequential” to the case, according to KOMO News.
Alleged discrimination from SPD leadership
Officer Carson stated in the tort claim that Diaz “began to pay special attention” to her when she started with the Public Affairs Unit. Members of his security detail believed “he was trying to engage in a romantic relationship” with her because of their frequent conversations at work. The tort claim stated “the suspicion was warranted” because Diaz wouldn’t talk about work with her.
The tort claim also suggested that Diaz would try to see her undressed at the office. At the time, Carson was changing out of her uniform to civilian clothes in a cubicle at headquarters because she said there was no changing room for women on this floor. Carson also claimed that she feared Diaz would try to kiss her on New Year’s Eve while on duty with the chief, made “flattering comments” on her “leopard print outfits” and tried to help her with housework at her house.
“What he said in that interview bears witness to what my clients are saying in their complaint. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or not. You can be a misogynist,” Singla said in an interview with KOMO News. “My client knew at the time that the interactions that she was having were that he was a married man with three children, who was making inappropriate comments towards her. There was no revelation of him being gay or realizing that he was being gay or anything like that.”
Lieutenant John O’Neill was also listed in the lawsuit for similar behavior. O’Neill runs the media relations department, where the four women were employed at one point. All four women have been passed over for promotions, according to the previously filed tort claim, and have since been transferred out of the department.
“Supervisors made advances or made comments to these women about their looks or about their dating history, and when they rebuffed those advances, they were then punished,” Singla told KIRO Newsradio. “We’re talking about harassment, unwanted advances. We’re talking about retaliation where they have made complaints and then have had complaints lodged against them.”
Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.
-
Movie Reviews3 minutes agoBandar Movie Review: Bobby Deol roars in Anurag Kashyap’s unsettling legal thriller that refuses to spoon-feed
-
World11 minutes agoTaormina Film Festival Head Tiziana Rocca Says She Wants to Deliver a ‘Human Festival’ Amidst AI Boom, Asks Stars to Be ‘Generous’ to Local Audiences
-
Politics21 minutes agoVideo: Jan. 6 Rioter Hired by Pentagon
-
Lifestyle51 minutes ago‘How to Rule the World’ explores education and power at Stanford University
-
Technology1 hour agoCyberdecks used to look like little laptops, but now they’re getting more personal
-
World1 hour agoPete Hegseth warns narco-terrorists as U.S. backs Bolivia’s government amid coup warnings
-
Politics1 hour agoDemocrats split over Tlaib’s Lebanon measure as Republicans seize on Hezbollah omission
-
Health1 hour agoPopular weight-loss diet shows surprising impact on serious mental health condition
