Gretchen Carlson talks 'surreal' onscreen portrayals, 'moments of protest' at Fox News
Gretchen Carlson can't quite believe how life has turned out.
The journalist reflected on a 2016 lawsuit she filed claiming sexual harassment against Roger Ailes, then Fox News' chairman and CEO to the Los Angeles Times in an interview that published online Thursday.
Though Carlson predicted she would be "be home for years, crying" as a result, Ailes, who died in 2017 at 77, resigned.
Her story has been depicted in Showtime's limited series "The Loudest Voice," which premiered in June, and December's feature "Bombshell," where Carlson is portrayed by Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman, respectively.
Carlson hailed the projects as "great because they are keeping the dialogue going in a big, huge way." She added: "The visual medium can be so much more powerful, especially with this topic, because there are so many myths and misunderstandings.
"If I had told you three years ago that Showtime was going to do a miniseries about me and that (director) Jay Roach was going to do a potential blockbuster movie on this topic, you would have laughed at me," she continued. "Let me also say, the idea that Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman are playing me – that’s surreal on its face."
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Megyn Kelly, played by Charlize Theron in "Bombshell," recently commented on her casting as well.
Kelly told The Daily Mail earlier this month that she didn't know "anything about" Theron's portrayal, but offered praise for the Oscar-winner.
"I'm her fan," said Kelly. "(She) seems smart, seems like a good mom. So, you could do worse, right?"
To the Los Angeles Times, Carlson remembered what it was like to work at Fox News, where she said didn't have complete control over every story she presented.
"Editorial staffs at every establishment as a group are in charge of putting together the stories. There’s a misnomer out there that individual anchors say, 'This is what I’m going to say today,' " Carlson explained. "I had my moments of protest. And maybe they were subtle, but I had to approach it with a scalpel not a dagger. I was in a tough position.
"My moments of protest are all public out there," she added. "I walked off the set one day when they said woman have too many rights. I said, 'Really? Well, then, you guys handle it.' Three weeks before I got fired, I came out and said I was in favor of reinstating the assault weapons ban. I said that at Fox."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gretchen Carlson talks 'surreal' onscreen portrayals by Kidman, Watts
