Stormy Daniels skipped the red carpet Friday but took the stage briefly after a documentary screening Stormy, who had his SXSW premiered on the opening night of the festival. She was emotional, often wiping away tears, as she embraced director Sarah Gibson and explained how important the film was to her. But she also displayed her brand of defiance, ending with a parting shot: “And f*ck Trump.” »
“Thank you Sarah for doing this with me and telling such a beautiful story,” she said. “As a filmmaker, your transitions have been incredible. And you didn't use too many shots that made me look fat. So thanks.”
Judd Apatow is executive producer of the film, which will premiere on Peacock later this month.
“I met Judd, I think it was 2004. And not a lot of people know this story, but I stood in line and auditioned for a small role in a movie called The 40-year-old Virgin.” She got the role but had a death in the family so wasn't able to get started. “I expected them to replace me, and instead of doing that, Judd Apatow rearranged his entire filming schedule and sent flowers” to the funeral.
Apatow, who spoke briefly before the screening, said it was important to realize there were “real people” behind the clickbait.
The documentary follows the former adult film star whose life was turned upside down after tangling with Donald Trump. She said — as did former Trump fixer Michael Cohen — that he paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about an affair. Since the payment occurred in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, some have called it voter fraud. The Manhattan District Attorney is currently preparing for trial in his hush money case against Trump.
When the existence of the payments was revealed, Trump called Daniels a liar. She sued him for defamation and lost, ending up with $300,000 to cover her legal fees. The lawyer who initially took her case and defended her up and down cable news, Michael Avenatti, was convicted of fraud and, in 2022, was sentenced to four years in prison for wire fraud and identity theft after stealing proceeds from Daniels' book contract by forging his signature on a letter to his agent.
Stormy is his story with new details. It is produced by Erin Lee Carr, with Sara Bernstein serving as executive producer.