Monica Lewinsky advocated for the inclusion of a thong-flashing scene in “American Crime Story: Impeachment” drama about her affair with former President Bill Clinton and the fall out after.
“Listen, I would’ve loved to have been really selfish and said, ‘That’s great that you guys think we don’t have to show that, fantastic,’ but I’m incredibly experienced in understanding how people see this story,” the 48-year-old former White House intern shared with the Hollywood Reporter in a piece published Tuesday. (RELATED: Netflix Releases Awesome ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Preview)
“Of course I have a number of selfish reasons for wanting to participate,” @MonicaLewinsky says, “but a big goal for me is that this never happens to another young person again” https://t.co/Rc0QNm5tWb
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 26, 2021
“So, ultimately, I felt two things: One was that I shouldn’t get a pass because I’m a producer; and two, that it was unfair to the team and to the project because it would leave everybody vulnerable,” she added. (REVIEW: ‘Westworld’ Season 3 Ends With The Possible Deaths Of Multiple Characters)
Earlier in the interview, writer of the FX series Sarah Burgess admitted in her initial script she had omitted the scene in which Lewinsky, played by Beanie Feldstein, flashed her thong to Clinton, for fear of “retraumatizing Monica.”
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And it was Lewinsky who ultimately convinced her to include it in the show, which was part of the Starr report, in an effort to present an accurate account of the real-life scandal, Fox News reported.
In the highly-anticipated show, Sarah Paulson plays Linda Trip with Feldstein as Monica and the pair are joined by Clive Owen as President Clinton, Edie Falco as Hillary Clinton, Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones, Billy Eichner as Matt Drudge and Cobie Smulders who plays Ann Coulter.
“American Crime Story: Impeachment” hits FX on September 7.