Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Gillian Anderson has revealed after Sony abandoned plans to distribute The Salt Path in the US when allegations emerged questioning parts of the supposedly true story behind the film that she considers the controversy a “huge letdown” and a “betrayal”.
The 58-year-old X-Files and Sex Education star plays Raynor Winn opposite Jason Isaacs as her husband Moth in director Marianne Elliott’s adaptation of the bestselling memoir.
The film follows the couple as they embark on a 630-mile walk along England’s South West Coast Path after losing their home and following Moth’s diagnosis with corticobasal degeneration.
Sony had been preparing to take on US distribution when allegations about the Winns’ story emerged in the Observer last summer.
Speaking to the Times, Gillian has now said about the decision: “It was really disappointing, a huge letdown.”
She added: “The story came out the week we were signing U.S. distribution and Sony withdrew. We had been so surprised by its success: ‘What, really, this film about two old people going on a walk?’ It felt like such a betrayal because we’d spent time with (the Winns.)”
The Observer investigation alleged important elements of the account presented in The Salt Path had been misrepresented, including the circumstances surrounding the loss of the couple’s home.
It also raised questions about Moth’s diagnosis with corticobasal degeneration.
The Winns disputed the allegations.
Gillian said she had not subsequently heard from the couple.
She told the Times: “It must have been really unsettling, to be potentially, allegedly, not telling the truth on live TV.”
Gillian also questioned how the claims behind the book had been checked before it became a publishing success and subsequently a film.
She added: “I was interested in the due diligence – like, how has it come to this? What degree of proof was there? They had told us that they couldn’t talk about (a previous) legal case because it was ongoing. Anyway. It was unfortunate.”
Despite Sony’s withdrawal, The Salt Path has now secured a North American release through Rialto Distribution.
The company is scheduled to release the film in US cinemas on August 28, with Gillian and Jason leading a cast that also includes Hermione Norris, James Lance and Denis Lill.
Kelly Rogers, CEO of Rialto, previously said: “This is a film of quiet power. It speaks to something deeply human – love, endurance and the idea that it’s never too late to begin again. We’re thrilled to share this remarkable screen work with viewers in the United States and Canada and believe it will leave a lasting impression.”
The controversy comes during a busy period for Gillian, who recently appeared at the Cannes Film Festival alongside Hannah Einbinder, and writer-director Jane Schoenbrun, for their queer horror film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.
Gillian plays reclusive former horror star Billy in the film.
She is also preparing to return to the West End in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and will publish More, the follow-up to her bestselling collection of women’s sexual fantasies, Want, on September 10.
Gillian remains most closely associated with FBI agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, the science-fiction phenomenon in which she starred alongside David Duchovny.
The series is currently back in the spotlight as Ryan Coogler develops a new incarnation starring Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel.
Original creator Chris Carter has indicated that Gillian and David are expected to appear, while Gillian has confirmed she has read Ryan’s pilot script.
