Everything to Know AboutMay December

Mar. 15, 2025

Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo with Charles Melton as Joe in May December.Photo:Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of Netflix

May Decemberexplores an intriguingly dark dynamic between two women.

Director Todd Haynes, who began working on the script in 2019, opened up about the influence thereal-life case of Mary Kay Letourneauhad onMay December, in addition to “tabloid culture of the ’90s” as a whole. “That was the real jumping off point for me,” he said.

The fictionalized character Haynes created “is not a pedophile,” he said of Gracie. “She doesn’t have a history of going after every little teenage boy. There’s something very specific that happened to these two people.”

May Decemberhas received critical acclaim since its release. Melton, former star of The CW’sRiverdale, received a2023 Gotham Awardfor his supporting performance in the film. His costar Moore celebrated his honor onInstagramduring the ceremony in November 2023.

Read on for everything to know aboutMay December.

What isMay Decemberabout?

Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry and Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in May December.Francois Duhamel /Netflix

Francois Duhamel /Netflix

May Decemberexplores the increasingly fraught dynamic between two women, Portman’s Elizabeth Berry and Moore’s Gracie Atherton-Yoo. It also follows Melton’s Joe Yoo as he navigates marriage and increasing strife with his wife, who seduced him as a teenager.

The film’s official logline reads, “as Elizabeth attempts to get closer to the family, the uncomfortable facts of their scandal unfurl, causing difficult, long-dormant emotions to resurface.”

After her release, Gracie married Joe, who is now 36 and preparing to be an empty nester as they send their younger kids to college. He maintains that the relationship was always consensual.

Elizabeth travels to Savannah, Georgia — where the film is set — to research the pair’s real-life relationship as she prepares to portray Gracie in the upcoming film about the scandal. However, her digging into their lives begins to cause fissures as it forces Joe to rethink his dynamic with Gracie.

“Both women are circling each other and trying to get a handle on each other,” director Haynes said during a press conference at the New York Film Festival in September 2023. “I think a lot of it is about a process of trust, which is Natalie’s character Elizabeth’s goal to make Gracie feel toward her.”

Who’s in the cast ofMay December?

Charles Melton, Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman attend Netflix’s May December Los Angeles premiere at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on November 16, 2023.Natasha Campos/Getty

Natasha Campos/Getty

May Decemberstars Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo, Portman as Elizabeth Berry and Melton as Joe Yoo.

Moore has previously spoken about how difficult this role has been for her to take on. “I called up Todd [Haynes] and said, ‘I can’t do this. This is too hard!’” the actress admitted at Deadline’s Contenders Film L.A. in November 2023. “I was really struggling. I’m like, ‘Who is this woman?’”

Haynes, meanwhile, has praised the actress for her commitment to the part in order to “get to the core of what could make this kind of relationship occur,” he previously said at a press conference.

“The complexity of the character of Gracie as written… represents a myriad of contradictions and fascinating elements of willfulness, and then a resolute, almost stubborn lack of self-reflection, a determination to stick to the choices that she’s made,” Haynes said.

Melton also took preparation for the role seriously, gaining 40 lbs. to transform into Joe, which he toldEntertainment Tonightwas part of getting into the character’s head.

“It was more of a collective discussion with Todd and I. We talked about what Joe would feel like, not so much as look like,” he explained. “Looking at the facts of him being this suburban father with three kids and being a loving husband. He doesn’t really have too much time to spend on himself.”

He quipped of the weight gain, “I just ate a bunch of Five Guys and pizza and ice cream and Capri Suns and Gushers … I can keep on going. And I really enjoyed myself!”

As for Portman, theBlack Swanstar was thrilled to work alongside Moore, describing the collaborative experience toNetflix Queueas an “absolutely a highlight of my life.” She explained, “I’ve admired Julie for so long, and particularly her work with [director] Todd [Haynes].”

“Their collaborations have stayed in my mind as some of the highlights of films that I love," Portman continued. “So to get to be working with them together is absolutely a highlight of my life.”

Is there aMay Decembertrailer?

Thefirst official trailerforMay Decemberwas released in September 2023, giving viewers a glimpse at the unsettling dynamic between Portman and Moore’s characters ahead of the film’s open at the New York Film Festival in May 2023.

IsMay Decemberbased on a true story?

Mary Kay LeTourneau; Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in May December.ALAN BERNER/AP/Shutterstock, FRANCOIS DUHAMEL / COURTESY OF NETFLIX

ALAN BERNER/AP/Shutterstock, FRANCOIS DUHAMEL / COURTESY OF NETFLIX

May Decemberis a fictionalized look atthe real-life case of Mary Kay Letourneau, a Seattle school teacher sentenced to more than seven years in prison for child rape after she began sexually abusing her sixth-grade student Vili Fualaau in 1996.

“I really wanted a fictional story that dealt with this tabloid culture of the ’90s that has kind of seemingly led into this true-crime biopic world we’re in now, and kind of question that transition and why we want to keep recreating these stories,” said Burch, who began working on the script in 2019. “That was the real jumping off point for me.”

“All of these stories like this that are in the ether are just completely embedded in everyone’s cultural history,” she added. WhileMay Decemberis loosely based on real-life happenings, Haynes revealed at the press conference that Moore took some inspiration from Letourneau when building the character, particularly in developing Gracie’s speaking voice.

“To be honest, there were things in kind of a loose upper palate that we did find interesting in Mary Kay Letourneau’s speech that was a kick-off for her. And she took it further,” he said.

When didMay Decemberpremiere?

Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo with Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry in May December.Francois Duhamel/Courtesy of Netflix

Francois Duhamel/Courtesy of Netflix

May Decemberpremiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2023. It later hit select theaters on Nov. 17 ahead of its release on streamers.

Where to streamMay December?

Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo with Charles Melton as Joe in May December.Courtesy of Netflix

May Decemberis available to stream on Netflix on Dec. 1, 2023.

source: people.com