Vili Fualaau was abused by Mary Kay Letourneau when he was just 12 years old and she was 34. She went to prison after pleading guilty of rape, but during her sentencing, she gave birth to Vili’s daughter. Then she gave birth to their second child, another daughter, in prison. Vili and Mary Kay later married when she got out of prison, and then they divorced in 2019. Mary Kay died in 2020. Vili still lives in Seattle and he’s still involved in his elder daughters’ lives and he recently welcomed a third daughter with a new partner. People have been talking a lot about Vili and Mary Kay in recent months because of Todd Haynes’ May December. May December is not a fictionalized version of Vili and Mary Kay’s story, but there are similarities between Vili and Mary Kay and the fictional couple played by Charles Melton and Julianne Moore. The script even “borrowed” Mary Kay’s “who was the boss” line from an interview. But, as I said, the film is not trying to be a dramatization of Vili and Mary Kay’s story. But Vili is still hurt that the film was made without consulting him.
In Todd Haynes‘ May December, Natalie Portman plays Elizabeth Berry, an actress obsessively researching a married couple with a scandalous past. The similarities between the couple’s story and the Mary Kay Letourneau case — which May December screenwriter Samy Burch has cited as her inspiration — are striking. But in an ironic twist, no one involved in the Netflix-produced May December has ever reached out to Vili Fualaau, who serves as the inspiration for Charles Melton‘s Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of Joe Yoo.
Fualaau has seen May December and came away deeply dismayed at what he feels is yet another example of Hollywood and the media exploiting his story and pain. What he can’t understand most is why he was never once consulted by the movie’s director, its screenwriter nor the actor — an awards season favorite — who plays a character so clearly based on him.
“I’m still alive and well,” says Fualaau, now 40 and still living in the Seattle area, where the scandal unfolded. “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. 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 adds.
Letourneau died from cancer in 2020, as Fualaau sat at her bedside. Two years later, Fualaau fathered a third child from a new relationship. In September, he learned one of his two daughters with Letourneau, Georgia, is pregnant, setting the stage for him to become a grandfather. His story has indeed been a saga, and Fualaau is not opposed to the idea of someone making a thoughtful movie about his life. But May December is not it, he feels.
“I love movies — good movies,” he says. “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],” Fualaau adds.
My take: Vili can feel however he wants to feel about it. He makes solid points and it’s clear that Haynes, Samy Burch and Charles Melton all drew from Vili as an inspiration for that character. In retrospect, maybe they should have contacted him. But… May December is just a straight drama, and it’s not claiming to be ripped from the headlines or based on Vili’s story. Dramatists can find inspiration in real life events and make fictional art inspired by real life events. It’s also clear that Todd Haynes and Samy Burch wanted to frame this story through the actress doing research, and say what you will, but Julianne Moore’s performance is singularly her own, she’s not doing a Mary Kay impression or whatever.
IG courtesy of THR, additional photos courtesy of Netflix.
Eh, sadly isn’t there a lot of similar stories like his tho? (i haven’t seen the movie, so maybe there´s a lot of nods to him specifically, but teacher / student affairs are pretty “common”)
While this is true, the choice to have an Asian actor to play the husband/abuse victim makes it pretty clear whose specific story this is supposed to be based on.
That is true, didnt even think about that.
Someone give this man money and credit for his story if you’re going to use it for profit or artistic endeavor; and give him the protection, respect for his dignity, acknowledgment of his personhood and the empathy he should have gotten as a young boy victimized by a monster. Fr. People either need to pay him or leave him tf alone, imo.
THANK YOU! I saw this yesterday and of course the copied his story, they cast an actor who was adjacent to him. I’d be salty if you made a movie that was obviously my story and you didn’t consult me . I’m sorry but it appears that they didn’t want to pay him.
Vili isn’t Asian, he’s Samoan. TBH I understand how he feels, at the end of the day he’s a victim of crime and someone is drawing artistic inspiration, and ultimately profit, from his abuse. It’s quite different from situations where a film is inspired by someone who’s the actual perpetrator, like Elizabeth Holmes or Anna Delvey.
Not only that, but someone who looks strikingly similar to Fualaau. That was a choice.
I have read that it isn’t intended to be a fictionalized version of their story… but then I have also read how their story was studied intently by the actors, etc. They used a lot of their story as inspiration and I can see where he felt like they didn’t show regard for the human being that lived through it in his childhood.
They literally copied word-for-word moments from interviews he and Mary Kay did.
I didn’t know a whole lot about this… i knew the gist. But of course I went down a rabbit hole of morbid curiosity… she met him as his second grade teacher. He would have been 7 years old. 7! She is a pedophile. I have a son in third grade.. he is a small child… still a baby really. The thought that anyone could look at a second or third grader and think anything sexual is beyond disturbing. She was a sick woman. He was groomed, abused and raped.
Sadly yes but also if you watch they don’t just recreate the who was the boss scene they recreate magazine images and in some shots j wasn’t sure if they used the OG pictures they made them so similar.
They changed it enough to get away with saying it wasn’t this story but it was 100% this story that they played with. They should have contacted him. I feel like because he’s a man society and the film makers ignored he is a victim of a massive trauma.
The movie was ok not great and I am glad he’s using his voice.
Sadly, yes, there are quite a few stories like this. However, Vili’s story is probably the most famous here in the US and it probably was the main source of inspiration. The fact that they used a direct quote from Mary Kay shows their story was definitely one of the inspirations.
I had no idea it wasn’t a (very well done) fictionalisation of Vili/ Mary Kay Letourneau.
He’s been the butt of a million jokes and tasteless remarks since he was a teenager, after what he’s been through I can understand why he feels sensitive or even oversensitive towards the film.
When you purposely cast actors who look like Mary Kay and Vili you know people and the media are going to draw parallels (more so if they didnt cast actors who looked like them.) Todd Haynes knew exactly what he was doing. Vili should be pissed off.
Precisely. The casting and the styling (notice Julianne doesn’t have red hair in this movie) are designed to call up the Letourneau scandal. And Julianne’s performance “all her own?” The lisp/lazy tongue is a choice made to mimic Mary Kay. Come on here. He’s right to feel the way he does.
On the other hand, I found Charles Melton’s portrayal so heartbreaking and raw, that I hope Vilii might be pleased with that aspect at least.
Exactly! It is an insult to our intelligence to claim this story isn’t based on them. They just don’t want to pay him for his story, nor consult him, so they have free rein to tell his story the way they want. And this isn’t just any story, this is the story of his abuse as an innocent child.
I don’t think anyone is in the wrong here.
That woman abused him- and made him a dad when he was 13-14 years old. That is insane, horrific- and will take a lifetime to work through and recover from.
I hope he has had all the therapy.
And after decades of everyone commenting on him- he gets to say whatever the heck he wants.
The movie CLEARLY used his specific story as its starting point. That is evident- and Haynes has said so.
That being said – Haynes gets to make the movie he wants- he gets to take that story and make something else out of it- adding context he does not know and making a story that is fiction.
Yes, absolutely based on Mr. F, – let’s not even argue that.
But i think Mr. F has a right to be annoyed- and i think Mr. Haynes has a right to make this deeply unsettling movie.
I agree with this.
Vili Fualaau became a public figure at 12 because he was a victim of abuse. And I can’t imagine how upsetting it is to have his story rehashed. But it’s also true that people get to tell upsetting stories.
ETA: I think the right thing to do would have been to reach out to him, whether or not it would have informed the story. It just seems like the human thing to do.
This is the correct take IMO.
Let’s be real – this wasn’t just “inspired” by his story. It’s his story with a few tweaks and I think he’s right to be mad.
Exactly!!
This. The poor guy has been exploited his entire fricking life. I really think it’s awful that they made this total rip-off of his life and he got no input at all.
Until I read this article, I had no clue the May December was not about Vili. Just looking at the actors, it’s so obvious! So, yes, he has the right to be upset. And the creators of this film can say we didn’t need to consult him, it’s fiction. But don’t make the argument that they didn’t use his life story as inspiration, because that’s insulting.
He’s right.
In a Q&A Julianne Moore talked about how she was inspired by MKL for her performance and some scenes in the movie copy word for word the interviews that MKL gave without counting the copied photos and covers.
The fact that they chose an Asian man to play the young lover (abuse victim) says that it was ripped off Vili’s story. They should have brought him on as a consultant.
Vili has an absolute right to his feelings and he isn’t wrong.
Part of the problem is that there are so many more stories about women/ girls who were abused, so unless something really stands out, it’s easier to distance a movie from one specific situation.
This was more than just “inspired” by his story. They literally ripped off his a real moment that was captured on camera. They cast an Asian-American actor. They gave Julianne a blonde wig. We ALL know who the story is based on – in isn’t vague in anyway. So yes – while I don’t think Julianne did an impression of Mary Kay it’s obvious that she was the inspiration. May December was a good film but I do think it was unethical of them to mine so much of this man’s very traumatic story and never ask permission or at least reach out to him.
Whooaaaa—I assumed that they had his cooperation as the two stories are nearly identical, down to the recreation of tabloid shots.
That really makes me disgusted. I feel very differently about this film now. Because of course everyone is talking about him again. The filmmakers have basically revictimized him.
I’m sure they were careful about the legalities of the situation, etc, but just because it’s legal doesn’t make it ethical.
Agreed. Which is why I won’t watch it.
“ The script even “borrowed” Mary Kay’s “who was the boss” line from an interview”
I watched the interview that this line came from and I was surprised by how impressed I was by Vili Fualaau. He was intelligent and poised and actually seemed much stronger than the character played by Charles Melton.
The movie focused on the damage done by the rape and abuse of a young boy and how that permanently affected him. But the real life person came across as more self aware, resilient and confident than the dramatized version. I don’t blame Vili for being upset. His story is more complex than the movie shows and I think he deserves to be admired and respected for how he grew up to be a decent man despite his adverse experiences. The way he was portrayed in the movie made him seem childlike and lacking agency. In the interview he mentioned that he grew up without a father and he didn’t want that for his children. It seemed like he made a conscious decision as a child himself to protect his daughters.
And btw Mary Kay LeTorneau came across as a complete psycho and one of the most unpleasant women I’ve ever seen.
He missed out on a payday. All about the money imo.
And he is more than entitled to a payday since it’s his story – and trauma- that they are profiting off of.
@Ameerah- He isn’t the first this has happened to, nor the last. Even with the specific details of his situation. He’s just the most famous case. Also, his motivation was made crystal clear when he said they should have contacted him so they could “make a masterpiece together.” Doesn’t sound that wounded, using that verbiage. Being SAed as a child doesn’t strike me as masterpiece-worthy.
Wow you’re disgusting.
So its fine that other people can make money off of exploiting HIS story and lived experiences, but he’s not allowed to be upset about it, or receive any type of profit from it himself? Your comment is extremely nasty and unnecessary.
I said what I said and stand by it. According to easily available public records and Wikipedia, Vili has history of selling his story, first in a book, selling to tv outlets and news services, selling his wedding video and filmed a documentary. He also tried to sue the school board for not stopping his relationship with Mary Kay and lost. He has never been shy, it appears, about making money off his relationship. The argument could be made that he exploited her and their story for financial gain and now he’s offended that someone else did the same. Entitled to my opinion and if that makes me disgusting so be it.
He was trapped in a profoundly exploitive relationship since he was little and became a father at age 13. How was he supposed to develop the skills to be able to support himself and his family, outside of the very story that made it all obvious?
I don’t blame him for feeling exploited and angry. This isn’t even the first movie where other people have made money of his story with him receiving nothing.
I think it would’ve been fine to make this movie if Haynes had made at least some effort to distinguish the movie from the real-life events. For instance, they could’ve dropped the MKL lisp and given Julianne Moore a different hair color. Little details like that could’ve made the movie feel more “inspired by” than just a retelling of Vili’s story.
He’s being exploited. It’s simple. Careers are being advanced and profits being made from his story of trauma and abuse, reframed through a white lens. This lens erases how racist sexual stereotypes about his Samoan identity were used to adultify him and the harm he experienced.
Absolutely agree.
Thank you for this very intelligent take. I’m floored but some of these comments, but not surprised.
Thank you for pointing that out – I’ve seen how children of color are “aged” more than their white counterparts, but mostly with Black boys victimized through acts of violence or Black or Asian girls oversexualized. I didn’t even think about it in the context of this situation.
I agree with the other comments that this poor man has been exploited his entire life. The filmmakers did him a terrible disservice.
All of this!! Thank you Eowyn, perfectly said! 🙌
Have you seen May/December? If you did then you know it’s not the story about a twelve-year-old boy. and his abusive teacher. That’s Vili’s story.
May/December is about a married couple whose history involves sexual abuse. They could, and unfortunately probably do, represent any number of similar ‘relationships’. Switch genders and this could be about Woody Allen.
Moral outrage at real events is being projected onto a fictional film with similar elements.
See my other post which addresses the legal aspect of acknowledgement and consent.
I think it’s crazy that they want to pretend that this was anything BUT a retelling of his story.
As many said, they used the ACTUAL words straight out of MKL’s mouth. And recreated all kinds of tabloid photos.
They absolutely could have made a movie that explored these themes without making so many direct connections to his specific story. A lot of the movie looks into the fact that he was made a father at 13/14 and stayed to raise the kids, becoming an adult way too early. They could have used that without making the other direct connections. I’m sure many of us would possibly still think of him, but it really didn’t have to be so specific in order to tackle some of these topics. They WANTED it to be specific.
One of the things that comes up in the movie is the actress, Natalie’s character, refers to it as a “story” and the male lead shouts “this isn’t a story, this is MY LIFE”. It’s kind of weird that the writers kind of write about people taking advantage of this survivor, while they themselves are doing so.
I suppose this isn’t so far off from what To Die For Did with the Pam Smart case. I tried to see if Billy Flynn took issue with that film, but didn’t find anything.
I live in the Seattle area, and once saw Mary Kay and Villi at Nordstrom. I remember feeling a bit star struck at the time, which is weird because the whole thing is gross, but they were all over the news at one point.
I haven’t watched May December but there is a fine line between being inspired by and making a fictionalized account IMO. I just read the summary on Wikipedia and it basically sounds like Mary and Vili with a few minor changes. They cast an Asian actor to play the Vili character (Vili is Samoan/Pacific Islander) and gave Julianne a blonde wig to play Mary Kay who was famously blonde. Sure there are some fictional elements (the Natalie Portman character, Mary Kay and Vili did not have twins, character names changed) but it essentially tells the same story of a teacher seducing a 13 year old and going on to have his children and getting married to him (not sure if the movie talks about the older woman going to jail at all for having relations with a minor). It looks like the Vili character had a change of heart about what happened to him throughout the movie–we know the same thing happened to Vili as he filed for divorce at some point from Mary Kay (probably ended up staying married to her to take care of her when she was diagnosed with cancer). Plus Julianne Moore even admitted to using real words that Mary Kay said in one scene and the actors supposedly studied the story in depth as source material. It is not just “loosely” based, it is heavily based on Mary Kay and Vili’s story. They changed enough things to make it different but the least they could have done is reach out to Vili. It is his story, he was the one who was victimized. I had no interest in seeing this movie but I definitely don’t now after reading Vili’s feelings about it.
He had filed for formal legal separation in 2019, after reconciling several times since 2017, and at the final arbitration hearing regarding their legal separation in the summer of 2019, all of their assets and debts were unentangled and divided up regarding what was his and what was hers. At some point, from what I’ve read, the divorce was finalized.
Vili was living in California when Mary Kay was diagnosed with cancer in I believe the very beginning of 2020. I know he mentioned he was going back to school in California. I think he was studying graphic arts (don’t hold me to it) or was going to be. She kept him updated on her condition. But when her cancer worsened and it became clear she was failing, the last two months of her life he left California and came back to help take care of her for the sake of his children and for Mary Kay. She died in July of 2020.
I helped take care of my mother during her cancer diagnosis, and the final months are grueling for the family that is doing the caring, both emotionally and physically draining. That says a lot about Vili as a human being that he took that on.
Julianne Moore absolutely did portray Mary Kay Letourneau. I also went back down the rabbit hole of years of interviews with her. This movie is more than loosely based on their relationship.
Now, Charles Melton is the person who made his character his own, because in reality, Vili was and is a far livelier person, and in their younger days of the marriage, he was far cockier. There was a period of depression he was going through and he was very subdued in some interviews being done when their marriage was practically over but they needed the money. Those interviews were the NYC Barbara Walters interview and the interview done by the Australian interviewer. And I believe that Charles Melton used those interviews to mold his character off of, but even then still not note-for-note Vili, as Julianne did for Mary Kay.
I watched some doc on them, which wasn’t very good. Vili and Mary Kay made a lot of money off of their wedding, almost a million dollars, and were renting the home on the water. Two of her ex-prison mates were invited to visit. They said their dynamic was very strange. Mary Kay was running around taking care of everyone, the kids, her guests. Vili was upstairs in his music room the whole time with his younger friends, smoking pot, and jamming, with Mary Kay bringing food up to them. The two women said even back then they did not seem like a couple.
Mary Kay was a nutcase, who when recounting their grand love story, honestly acts like one of Sybil’s characters coming out, a 13-year-old girl, blushing, telling the story of him coming on to her. She was in her 50s, acting like a 13-year-old when talking about Vili and his flirting. It was so bizarre. Talk about a personality disorder. She groomed a 12-year-old. Just because he was a cocky 12-year-old who liked girls didn’t mean he was ready for a mid 30’s groomer to take advantage of his crush and pursue him in a predatory way and also get herself knocked up twice, ignoring what she was doing to her four children and to Vili for life.
I enjoyed the movie a lot. Vili has a right to be upset because it is his life. But because Mary Kay got him so young, he will always have mixed feelings and jumbled feelings about his love for her. But he was stunted and never developed a career on any level and became a father at such a young age. He dropped out of high school. He had problems with depression throughout his life.
He was living in California and divorced from her when Mary Kay was diagnosed with cancer and stayed in contact about it, and because he cared for her, he did come out for those last two months when it was clear she was failing, to help care for her.
What is interesting is how normal both of their daughters appear to be. They loved their mother and still are close to their father despite all of the dysfunction they lived through within the family.
It’s all about the money. He was not paid anything and he wants to be paid for what he considers to be at least in part his story. He can’t say he wants money, but that is what he wants. This is Hollywood. There is nothing else.
Unauthorized biographies are published every year without the subject’s consent. Likewise, film portrayals of famous people have been made forever, with or without the subject’s consent or acknowledgement.
Vili’s story is in the public domain. Legally, the creatives behind May/December are not bound to consult with him because it’s not the story of how he was abused as a child, nor does it depict the trial and media circus that followed.
More importantly, the movie presents a fictionalized version of the “couple” as they exist today. MKL is deceased so no one can say what their lives were like before she died nor what their lives would be like if she had survived and they stayed together.
Judy Garland (Judy, 2019) and QEII (The Queen, 2007) both had unauthorized films made about them and the two actresses that played them both won Academy Awards. There was no outrage surrounding either portrayal.
People are reacting to the subject matter of May/December and want the producers to somehow atone for (or at least acknowledge) the suffering Vili endured.