'They Chose to Do a Ripoff': Mary Kay Letourneau's Ex-Husband Slams 'May December' Filmmakers for Never Approaching Him
Mary Kay Letourneau's ex-husband, Vili Fualaau, is speaking out about a movie that had characters loosely based on himself and his late former spouse.
Jan. 4 2024, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Late convicted sex offender Mary Kay Letourneau's ex-husband, Vili Fualaau, blasted the filmmakers of May December for never reaching out to him, claiming they could have created a "masterpiece" together but instead writers did "a ripoff of my original story."
"I'm still alive and well," he remarked, RadarOnline.com has learned after the movie's theatrical release. May December first premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
Fualaau said he was "offended" the filmmakers never reached out, considering he is still "alive and well."
Actors Julianne Moore and Charles Melton portray married couple Gracie and Joe, whose relationship comes under the microscope as it began when she was 36 and he was 13.
Natalie Portman is among the star-studded cast, playing a devoted actress who is preparing to play Moore's character in a movie, meeting the couple to research their past.
"Certainly that's the seed of it, the big picture thing, but it was important to me that this wasn't the Mary Kay Letourneau story," screenwriter Samy Burch said of its inspiration.
Actors Julianne Moore and Charles Melton portray married couple Gracie and Joe, whose relationship stirs up controversy as it began when she was 36 and he was 13.
Fualaau noted the similarities are too jarring not to notice. Both he and the lead male star, Charles Melton, who portrays Joe Yoo (Moore's underage love interest), are Asian/Pacific Islanders.
Yoo and Fualaau both married the women who served jail time for their crimes and both fathered children born behind bars.
"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," Fualaau told The Hollywood Reporter.
Letourneau was 34 and Fualaau was 12 and a student in her sixth grade class when a sexual relationship developed between them.
"Certainly that's the seed of it, the big picture thing, but it was important to me that this wasn't the Mary Kay Letourneau story," screenwriter Samy Burch said of its inspiration.
She was later convicted for second-degree rape and served more than seven years in prison, having to register as a sex offender upon her release.
The former Washington State school teacher and Fualaau went on to get married in 2005, welcoming two children before they divorced in 2019.
Letourneau died of cancer at age 58 in 2020 and the former couple's youngest daughter is now pregnant with her first child.
Letourneau died of cancer at age 58 in 2020 and the former couple's youngest daughter is now pregnant with her first child.
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Fualaau said that he would be open to a movie based on his experience, sharing that he admires films that capture "the essence and complications of real-life events."
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"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]."
RadarOnline.com has reached out to reps for Burch for comment.
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