This Kennewick grad got knockout role of ‘I, Tonya’

Ricky Russert was not even a teenager when a man clubbed Nancy Kerrigan in the back of the knee.

The Kennewick High graduate remembers the attack on the Olympic figure skater well, and the swirl of controversy surrounding fellow American skater Tonya Harding.

“With Tonya being based out of Portland, we followed it pretty dilligently,” he said.

Now audiences can see Russert be part of the story.

He portrays Shane Stant, the 22-year-old drifter who attacked Kerrigan, in the movie “I, Tonya.”

The dark comedy recently opened in wide release and garnered three Oscar nominations.

Since its release, the film grossed more than $27 million.

Russert’s acting career brought him and his wife to Atlanta a few years ago.

With the help of productions like AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and several Marvel movies, the city has become a hub of film and TV productions.

“We were supposed to come out for two months and my wife and I just stayed working out here,” he said.

“I, Tonya” used Atlanta for filming, and Russert was picked to play Stant, the man who snuck into Kerrigan’s practice ring and clubbed her with a baton.

When he got the role, Russert tried to contact Stant, but couldn’t reach him. He picked up as much as he could from interviews and other materials about Stant as he could.

“We were making this our own as well,” he said. “It wasn’t Shane’s story. This was our story.”

The events surrounding the attack surprised Russert, who said there are scenes in the movie that are based on Stant’s accounts that he wouldn’t have believed otherwise.

He did hear from Stant after the film was released, and saw his recent interview on Inside Edition.

Russert is happy with the reception the $11 million production has received.

The actor is returning to Los Angeles for the monthlong process of filming TV pilots.

While Russert’s acting career brought him across the country, he still maintains strong ties to the area.

His parents still live in Kennewick, and his siblings are also local.

“I really appreciate all the support out of the Tri-Cities,” he said. “And if they haven’t seen the movie, they will be very pleasantly surprised.”

“I, Tonya” still can be found at Walla Walla’s Grand Cinemas, located at 1325 W. Poplar St.

This story was originally published February 22, 2018 at 6:41 PM with the headline "This Kennewick grad got knockout role of ‘I, Tonya’."