Billie Jean, in and of herself, was so inspiring, Stone says.
To get to play a person like her was a very fascinating and scary prospect.
I dont know if she was confused by that at all while we were shooting.
Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Twentieth Century Fox
I was already so nervous about letting her down that I was like, Ive got to watch it.
I was just trying to find touchstones that I could relate to, which are plenty.
Obviously, weve had a completely different experience, and shes a hero, which is not my experience.
For her, a great deal was going on privately.
This all happened in 1973, but this story feels really politically relevant right now.
It feels like not much at all has changed since this huge event.Its a painful truth.
And just to shed light on how long shes been walking this path and walking her talk.
Thats the special thing.
What was it like to shoot the actual on-court battle?It came together like a spectacle.
[Laughs]
You mentioned that you would watch old footage and interviews of Billie Jean.
Were there any details that you really focused on from those matches?Oh god, yeah.
I mean, everything as much as possible for months.
I was watching her in my trailer.
I had her tapes through my headphones playing in my head.
I was reading and rereading [Kings book]Pressure is a Privilege.
I had a dialect coach to figure out things with.
I sound just like you.
Thats how I sound.
And I was like, No, we dont!
We dont sound the same.
You were much more soft-spoken in 73, and theres this kind of Long Beach slang.
I was a real creep.
[laughs] I still am with her a little bit.
But thats how I relate to her.
Im like her creepy friend now.
