March 20, 2025 • 39 mins
Erin Brockovich proves that sometimes the biggest heroes come in the most unexpected packages, like a single mum with a penchant for swearing and a relentless drive for justice. With zero legal training but a whole lot of heart, Erin uncovers a scandal involving toxic waste poisoning a small California town’s drinking water, proving that you don't need a fancy law degree to take on a multi-billion dollar corporation.
Julia Roberts, who snagged her first, and so far only, Oscar for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich, didn't just play a role; she smashed through Hollywood's glass ceiling, becoming the first woman to score a $20 million salary for her performance. Because who doesn’t love a good underdog story where the hero wears a tank top and has a potty mouth?
This is 98% of a true story of David and what's-his-name?, with real-life implications of hexavalent chromium contamination and its devastating effects on the residents of Hinkley, California. Erin Brockovich isn't just a feel-good movie; it’s a sobering reminder of the real-world consequences of corporate negligence. Erin Brockovich reminds us that behind every legal fight, there are real people with heart-wrenching stories and dreams of better futures.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Erin Brockovich !
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(02:17):
I'm Em. Welcome to verbaldiorama, episode 292, Erin Brockovich.
This is the podcast that's allabout the history and legacy of movies
you know, and movies you don'tthat can just walk in there and find
what you need. They're calledboobs. Listeners, welcome to Bubble
Diorama. Whether you're abrand new listener to this podcast,
welcome back, regularreturning listeners. Thank you for
(02:39):
being here. Thank you forchoosing to listen to this podcast.
I am, as always, so happy tohave you here for the History Legacy
of Erin Brockovich. It isWomen's History Month, and so, unsurprisingly,
all of the episodes this monthon Verbal Diorama are celebrating
women. The history and legacyof women you know and women you don't,
(02:59):
from all walks of life, fromwarriors to queens to single mothers
and also women in sport. Lastweek we had the unmarried virgin
Queen of England. This week,someone a little more twice divorced.
But before we jump into that,thank you so much to everyone who
continues to support andlisten to this podcast and has done
(03:21):
for the last six years andover 290 episodes. It means so much
to have people listening tothis podcast, conversing with this
podcast. And by that, I meanme on social media about the episodes
of this podcast. It is agenuine joy in my life, this podcast.
And don't get me wrong, it'shard work to do this podcast, but
there are women out there whoare working 10 times harder than
(03:43):
me. Women like Erin Brockovichwho really deserve to be featured
and talked about and, I don'tknow, have a movie made of their
life. Now, if you listen to myprevious episodes on the Woman King
and Elizabeth, you'll rememberI mentioned them being slightly inaccurate
in the former and heavilyinaccurate in the latter. But this
(04:03):
is a movie that is mostlyaccurate to what really happened.
There are a few embellishmentshere and there and some timeline
changes, but otherwise, thisis the real story of an unemployed
single mother of threestruggling after a car accident who
persuades her way into aclerk's job at the law firm that
represented her, where sheuncovers the contamination of a small
(04:24):
town's drinking water, whichwould lead to one of the biggest
class action lawsuits inAmerican history. Here's the trailer
for Erin Brockovich.
(06:58):
Erin Brockovich, an unemployedsingle mother, is involved in a car
accident after leaving afailed job interview. And her outbursts
in court lead to a failedlawsuit against the other driver.
At her wit's end, shepersuades her lawyer to give her
a job to compensate for theloss. With her appearance and attitude
winning her no popularityfavors, she begins to investigate
(07:20):
a suspicious real estate caseinvolving the Pacific Gas and Electric
Company. She discovers thecompany is quietly trying to buy
land that was contaminated byhexavalent chromium, deadly toxic
waste that the companyimproperly and illegally dumped in
turn poisoning the residentsof Hinckley, California. As she digs
deeper, Erin finds herselfmore evidence and more plaintiffs
(07:44):
that would involve her lawfirm in one of the biggest class
action lawsuits in Americanhistory against a multi billion dollar
corporation. Let's run throughthe cast of this movie. We have Julia
Roberts as Erin Brockovich,Albert Finney as Ed Masri, Aaron
Eckhart as George, MargHelgenberger as Donna Jensen, Tracy
(08:05):
Walter as Charles Embry, PeterCoyote as Kurt Potter, Cherry Jones
as Pamela Duncan, KochataFerrell as Brenda and Adila Barnes
as Anna, with cameos from thereal Erin Brockovich as the waitress
Julia and the real Edward ElMasry as the diner sitting behind
(08:26):
the family in the restaurant.And also Judge leroy A. Simmons.
The judge in Barstow whodelivered a key ruling in the case
is played by the actual Judge,leroy A. Simmons. Erin Brockovich
was written by Susanna Grantand directed by Stephen Soderbergh.
When we reach to the kitchentap for a glass of water, the last
(08:48):
thing we think about isgroundwater contamination. And why
would we, we trust thecompanies providing us with utilities
to our homes, like gas andelectricity and running water. That
those utilities are beingprovided safely under strict protocols
through clean pipes, fullyoperational power lines managed by
(09:09):
a team of professionals. Waterbeing especially important. We drink
it, cook with it, wash in it,swim in it, water plants with it.
Not once would we question thesafety of our water or the trustworthiness
of the company providing us.And so if you heard a story about
an unemployed single motherwho had not only found out about
(09:30):
serious groundwatercontamination, had evidence of the
medical issues it had led to,and who then put a case together
to not only file a lawsuitagainst a multi billion dollar corporation,
but had won the lawsuit,earning a landmark $333 million payout
for the victims, you'dprobably want to make a movie out
(09:50):
of it too, because it soundsmade up, but it's not made up. The
story is, according to erinBrookovich herself, 98% accurate
to the real true story of hertakedown of Pacific Gas and Electric.
And it really did all startwith a car accident. A car accident
that left the genuine ErinBrookovich needing the help of a
(10:12):
lawyer as well as a goodchiropractor. That chiropractor was
Pam Dumond, and in 1993,Brockovich was referred to Dumond
for help with the pain she wasexperiencing after her car crash.
During their sessions,Brockovich would tell Dumond stories
about her life, her kids, andthe new job she'd started as an assistant
(10:32):
in a law firm. That law firmwas Masri Empetito, the same law
firm that had represented herfor her car accident compensation.
Each session she would tellDumond what she was doing with her
work, like visiting peoplewith all sorts of answers and investigating
pollution in the water supply.Dumond started sharing Brockovich's
(10:52):
story with a friend of hers,Carlos Santos Schamburg. Her husband
was Michael Schamberg, who wasa partner of Danny DeVito. Together
with Stacey Scher, they cofounded production company Jersey
Films, which had producedfilms like Pulp Fiction and Get Shorty
Dumond told Brockovich thatshe'd shared her story and would
she be interested in meetingwith Jersey Films about a possible
(11:16):
film adaptation of her life?And so in 1997, a meeting was set
up between Brockovich, CarlosSantos Schamburg, Michael Schamberg
and Danny DeVito. Brockovichtold them her story and everything
about it smacked of being agreat movie. So they told her they
wanted to buy the rights toher story for a potential movie.
But they made it clear thatjust because they buy the rights,
(11:38):
it doesn't mean a movie willdefinitely get made. Brockovich didn't
think anything else would comeof it until Susannah Grant came by
the Jersey Films officeslooking for a new writing project.
After picking up the rights,Jersey Films had contacted Callie
Corey, the writer of Thelmaand Louise, to write the screenplay.
Corey passed, but then Grantlanded on their doorstep shortly
(12:01):
after, specifically wanting towrite a movie about a strong female
character. She'd written thescreenplay forever after, and executives
mentioned that the story theyhad was a legal story. Grant met
Brockovich over lunch, securedthe Reiting gig, and they agreed
it shouldn't be a courtroomdrama, but that it should be as accurate
(12:21):
to the real story as possible.Grant shadowed Brockovich and her
family for a year and wentover trial transcripts, Waterboard
records and Brockovich's ownnotes. She also went to visit Hinkley
and recalled the shock ofseeing the clear line of demarcation
around the pumping stationbetween living and dead trees. In
(12:41):
fact, if you look at Hinkleyon Google Maps satellite view now
it's clear the amount ofdemolished housing, but also surprising
how many houses still remainin the area. Now we've all played
the who would play you in theHollywood movie of your life game.
For me, it's Emily Blunt. Butwhen asked who she wanted to play
(13:02):
her, Erin Brockovichoriginally suggested Goldie Horn
and that someone like JuliaRoberts was a pipe dream. The real
Ed Masri joked that Robertsboobs weren't big enough and her
mouth wasn't foul enough. Butas it happened, someone at the ICN
talent agency slipped thescript to Julia Roberts agent who
called to say she wasinterested in playing Erin Brookovich.
(13:25):
This was even though the moviedidn't have a director and three
big name directors hadreportedly turned it down. And while
Julia Roberts may have neededchicken fillets and a removal of
her family friendly filter,one thing she also wanted was a substantial
paycheck. While men inHollywood like Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks,
Tom Cruise and SylvesterStallone had commanded $20 million
(13:49):
salaries for years, no womanhad ever been able to negotiate that
amount. Only Meg Ryan andJodie Foster had gotten remotely
close at $15 million. Robertswas the first female movie star to
break that $20 million glassceiling. But they had to work to
get it. Universal Pictures wasinitially reelected to hand Roberts
(14:10):
the record breaking paycheck.Her agent, Elaine Goldsmith Thomas,
convinced the studio bypointing out the double standard
of Roberts having five moviesthat grossed more than $100 million.
Male stars like LeonardoDiCaprio or Adam Sandler had commanded
$20 million salaries afterscoring only one hit of that magnitude,
(14:32):
let alone five. And in trueErin Brockovich style, the argument
won the day. Julia Robertsbecame the first female movie star
to get $20 million for aleading role. And it just so happened
she was getting it for ErinBrookovich as the big star in the
movie. One of the things JuliaRoberts would have a major say in
is choosing who the directorwould be. And this is where we get
(14:55):
to Steven Soderbergh, who'sonly taken 292 episodes to appear
on this podcast. AndSoderbergh has, for the most part,
had a history of treatingfemale characters with respect. His
most recent movie at that timewas out of Sight, which had included
a career best turn forJennifer Lopez. It's still one of
her best movies, and thechemistry between her and George
(15:17):
Clooney was palpable.Although, let's be honest, George
Clooney would probably havechemistry with a paper bag. Steven
Soderbergh was captivated bythe relationship between Erin Brockovich
and Ed Masri and commented onthe human sized heroes at the center
of the story. What appealed tohim most about Erin Brockovich was
working with Julia Roberts ona film that would clearly expand
(15:40):
her horizons and alsodeveloping Brockovichian's character.
After Soderbergh came onboard, a meeting was held months
before principal photographybegan in mid-1999 to go over the
third draft of Grant's script.At that meeting were Ed Masri, Erin
Brookovich, Steven Soderbergh,Carlos Santos Schamberg, Susanna
(16:00):
Grant, Jersey co chairmanStacy Scherr and an attorney for
Universal. At the meeting,Soderbergh went through the script
line by line with Masri andBrockovich asking, did this happen?
If not, what did happen? Thebiggest change in the script to come
out of that meeting was thedecision to place more emphasis on
Masri's involvement.Originally, the movie had Brockovich
(16:23):
gathering the signatures ofHinckley residents to join the lawsuit,
but that was changed to showMasri's actual involvement, as well
as the toll it took on Masrito actually be involved. The real
lawsuit nearly bankrupted EdMasri. His law firm had run out of
money. He remortgaged his homeand the law firm didn't take on any
new cases. He had 30 to 60days of operating capital left when
(16:48):
he was joined in the fight bytwo other legal practices, Girardi
Kees and Engstrom Lipscomb andLack. Together they contributed $12
million of their own cash intowaging the legal fight against PG
and E. But any may be based ona true story that only happened a
few years prior. Is stilltreading on very dangerous ground
(17:08):
when you're depicting a realcase against a real billion dollar
corporation. In Grant'sscreenplay, which received uncredited
rewrite by screenwriterRichard Nagraval, real life Hindley
residents became composites.The two principal big city lawyers,
Girardi Keith from downdowntown Los Angeles and Engstrom
Lipscomb Lack from CenturyCity, who joined Masri invoicing.
(17:32):
PG and E were condensed fordramatic purposes into one man, Kurt
Potter, played by actor PeterCoyote. Donna Jensen was based mostly
on the story of Hinckleyresident Roberta Walker. Walker,
who had lived in Hinckleysince 1976, had two daughters who
had constant nosebleed afteryears of exposure to cranium 6. She
(17:54):
had five stomach surgeries andthree breast surgeries. Both of her
daughters had hysterectomiesand fibromyalgia. And her husband
was diagnosed with prostatecancer. In 1993, her home in Hinckley
was bought by PGE andbulldozed. They used the money from
the sale to move six milesaway. But in 2003, they were informed
that site wasn't safe either.PGE would buy this house from them
(18:18):
too. The movie was able toinclude explicit references to PG
and E without legalrepercussions, primarily because
the movie was based ondocumented facts from the actual
case, which was Andersonversus Pacific Gas and Electric,
which concluded in 1996 withPGE paying a $333 million settlement
(18:39):
to the residents of Hinckley,California. The legal proceedings,
evidence of hexavalentchromium contamination and PG and
E's actions were documented incourt records, which are public information.
Universal Studios and JerseyFilms had their legal teams thoroughly
review the scripts and thefinal film to ensure the portrayal
was accurate enough towithstand potential defamation claims.
(19:02):
And even if PGE did sue fordefamation, it would likely only
bring more attention to theoriginal case and potentially damage
the company's reputationfurther. Now, of course, it doesn't
mean everything in the moviewas completely accurate. Some scenes
were altered for dramaticeffect or for less dramatic effect,
like in real life. ErinBrockovich did become sick from exposure
(19:25):
to the toxins in the water inHinckley. But they felt that including
that as a subplot would takeaway from the people she was fighting
for. The scene where anattorney is presented with a glass
of water specially selectedfrom Hinckley was created for the
movie. But it did actuallyhappen at a trial. But as no trials
were shown, they decided tomove it elsewhere. How Erin finds
(19:47):
out about the pumping stationrecords is different too. There was
no mysterious older manfollowing her around and finally
telling her that he worked atpumping station and he'd been ordered
to destroy documents. In reallife, there were two whistleblowers,
a man and a woman. All thefacilities historical records were
dumped at a place known as theBoneyard. The man and woman used
(20:08):
five pickup trucks overseveral nights between 10pm and 5am
to dump the records whichstated how much chromium was put
in the system between 1952 and1986. Brockovich was sitting in a
bar on Highway 58 when anolder man she had met before approached
her. And just like in themovie, she thought he wanted to pick
(20:28):
her up. But instead he toldher off the boneyard. And that is
how they got the necessaryevidence to prove the corporate PG
and E knew about what PG&E inHinckley was doing. Her boyfriend,
George Halaby, didn't livenext door. They met at a bar. He
actually noticed herpotentially being roofied, stopped
her from drinking the drinkand offered to buy her a better one.
(20:51):
He was a ponytailed biker dudeand he was the one who introduced
her to lawyer Jim Petito, notEd Masri. And she was Ms. Pacific
coast, not Ms. Wichita. And itturned out having a movie made of
your life, and a successfulAcademy Award winning one at that,
which I'm going to come to, isLord Roses. Her then ex boyfriend,
(21:12):
George Hallaby, joined forceswith her first ex husband, Sean Brown,
to blackmail erin Brockovichfor $310,000, threatening to tell
the public she'd been havingan affair with Ed Masri. Her second
husband, Stephen Brockovich,sued her for defamation. And as the
Hinckley case received newattention, detractors started to
(21:33):
question whether cancer rateswere truly higher than average there.
While the movie was a hugesuccess, Julia Roberts performance
was lauded. And the real ErinBrookovich moved on to other cases.
The real residents ofHinckley, California were quietly
upset about the whole thing.Some of them suggested the movie's
ending misrepresented whathappened. And that the actual amounts
(21:55):
received were far less thanoriginally thought. Since the case
never went to trial and wassettled behind closed doors before
a panel of arbitrators.Neither transcripts of the proceeds
nor records of how thesettlement was dispersed have ever
been made available to thepublic or even to the victims themselves.
Had the case gone to trial,the transcript and the disbursement
(22:17):
would be a matter of publicrecord. As depicted in the movie.
Many of the residents wanted afull trial and didn't like the idea
of arbitration. The resultingcompensation was often a lot less
than expected, even taking thefees into account. And a number of
beneficiaries to thesettlement planned to sue their lawyers,
including Brockovich's firm,Masri and Petito. They also complained
(22:40):
that their lawyers kept themoney for six months after the settlement
was made without paying theinterest, and that there was little
or no apparent logic behindthe varying amounts of money that
they received. Although someresidents suggested that the closer
you were with Masri andBrockovich, the more money you ended
up receiving. Under theiragreement with Ed Masri and the two
(23:01):
other law firms, the lawyersreceived 40% the settlement, or $133
million. That should have left$200 million for the victims, or
roughly $300,000 each. Butmany received $100,000 or less, and
neither PG&E nor the lawyerswould release records of their accounting.
(23:22):
There was also the issue ofthe settlement to the town's 100
sick children. UnderCalifornian law, lawyers are only
usually allowed to take 25% ofany payout to minors. But the judges
in this case allowed thelawyers to take one third. The clients
also claimed they were billedan extra $10 million for undetailed
expenses. And as for PG&E,they released a statement ABC News
(23:46):
in 2021, following an articlepublished on the real story of the
town. Three decades after ErinBrockovich's crusade to clean a Pinkley
quote At Pacific Gas andElectric company pge, the safety
of our customers, communitiesand employees is our most important
responsibility. We have takenmany actions in support of our commitment
(24:09):
to clean up groundwatercontamination stemming from the use
of chromium 6 at our naturalgas compressor station in Hinkley
in the 1950s and 1960s. Aspart of a long term remedial process,
PGE evaluated numerous cleartechnologies to determine the best
approach. Our solution, whichhas been approved by regulators,
(24:30):
utilizes treatment in placesystems in areas that have the highest
levels of chromium. One of thelargest in place barrier treatment
systems for metals in theworld and an innovative and sustainable
remediation method that treatslower levels of chromium by growing
alfalfa and other foddercrops. PGE has made significant progress
(24:50):
in cleaning up the highestconcentrations of Chronium 6 in groundwater.
The remedy has removed morethan 5,600 pounds of Chromium 6 from
groundwater to date,representing more than 70% of the
estimated release. Bypartnering with local farmers, PGE's
agricultural operations boostthe local economy, preserve farmland,
(25:11):
support California's climatechange goals and foster working relationships
towards shared communitygoals. To facilitate this work and
in response to property ownersrequest request, PGE has purchased
properties and undevelopedland in Hinckley. As we responsibly
manage our cleanup, PGE isworking with community stakeholders
to help plan for Hinkley'sfuture. We are committed to doing
(25:34):
what's right for the Hinkleycommunity and we will be here until
we finish the job. PGE remainscommitted to listening and responding
to the Hinckley community withreadily available information about
our programmes. PGE alsocontinues to work with key community
stakeholders to improve ourlocal presence in the Hinckley community
and support communityinvestment priorities focusing on
(25:56):
youth health and wellness,education and workforce development.
Our local community officecontinues to partner with the county
and local nonprofits forworkforce training, health fairs,
community cleanup days andeducational tours. Unquote. Sure,
Jan, it's now time to segueinto the obligatory Keanu reference
(26:18):
of this episode. And if youdon't know what that is where I joined
the movie that I'm featuringwith Keanu Reeves. And let's be brutally
honest here, finding out thathexavalent chromium was giving kids
cancer would be enough forKeanu Reeves to go full John Wick
on PG&E's asses. ErinBrockovich released on 17 March 2000
(26:39):
in the US and was an immediatesmash hit. It opened at number one
at the domestic box office,staying there for three weeks, only
being dethroned in its fourthweek by rules of Engagement, Erin
Brockovich came out the sameweek as Final Destination and Romeo
Must Die. It even saw off theRoad to El Dorado in its third week
by only a million dollars orso on its $52 million budget. Which
(27:03):
is even more remarkable whenyou realize that $20 million of that,
that's 38% of the budget justpaid Julia Roberts on his $52 million
budget. Erin Brockovichgrossed $125.6 million domestically
in the US and $130.7 millioninternationally for a total worldwide
(27:24):
gross of $256.3 million. Itwas the 10th highest grossing film
in North America for the year2000. It has an 85% of Rotten Tomatoes
stating Taking full advantageof Julia Roberts considerable talent
and appealing, Erin Brockovichovercomes a few character and plot
issues to deliver a smart,thoughtful and fully legal drama.
(27:47):
With almost all criticsshowering Roberts and Albert Finney
with praise for theirperformances and the critical praise
towards Roberts and Finneycontinued into awards season. Erin
Brockovich was nominated forfive Academy Awards, including Best
Picture, Best Director, BestActress for Roberts, Best Supporting
Actor for Finney, and BestOriginal Screenplay. Julia Roberts
(28:11):
would win her first and so faronly Academy Award for Best Actress.
She would also take home theBest Actress BAFTA with the film
being nominated for six baftasin total for Best Picture, Best Director,
Best Actress, Best SupportingActor for Albert Finney, Best Original
Screenplay and Best Editing.And Julia Roberts would take the
(28:31):
Golden Globe for Best Actresstoo, as well as the the SAG Award
for Best Actress and theCritics Choice Award as well. Don't
feel too bad for StevenSoderbergh, though. He was nominated
for Best Director AcademyAwards twice that year, once for
Erin Brookovich and once forTraffic. And he took home the award
for Traffic. This Women'sHistory Month will be told many stories
(28:53):
of women fighting for rightsfor education to be heard. What I
love about the Erin Brockovichstory isn't so much the story itself,
although it is remarkable, butthe story of Erin. Not only was she
a single mother, but also anunemployed single mother. Those two
things are often vilified bysociety as a whole. So you have this
(29:18):
vilified unemployed singlemother also dressed in a certain
way that didn't cover hershoulders and her ankles. Oh my.
By all accounts, Julia Robertswardrobe in this movie is modest
compared to what Brockovichactually wore. And it goes a long
way to promote the Don't Judgea book by its cover saying don't
judge women who wear shortskirts or tight tops. Don't judge
(29:41):
single mothers. Don't judgeunemployed people. Erin Brockovich
may not have been book smart,but she was smart. She was tenacious,
she was resourceful, she washard working. And all it took was
someone to give her a chance.Look what incredible single mothers
can do if they're given achance. Look what any incredible
(30:02):
woman could do if she werejust given that chance to shine.
Now, of course, it does helpthat she's played by Julia Roberts
in this movie. And JuliaRoberts was on a hot Streak at the
time. After starring in MyBest Friend's Wedding, Conspiracy
Theory, Stepmom, Notting Hilland Runaway Bride, she was indisputably
the world's most famousactress. With a killer smile, but
(30:25):
with the chops to pull it alloff. Julia Roberts is a natural in
this role. Erin may have apotty mouth, but she's lovable and
dedicated and refuses to giveup her newfound success for anyone.
No fancy law degree orbusiness suit can match the genuine
empathy, hope and friendshipoffered to the people of Hinckley
(30:46):
by Erin Brockovich. And JulianRoberts just taps into that. It's
a star making turn for thebiggest star in the world and we're
all here just to see JuliaRoberts shine and get that well deserved
Academy Award for thisperformance because she is genuinely
terrific. It's also refreshingto see a 2000 movie where a man is
(31:07):
seen to be a primary caregiversupporting a woman in her career.
Okay, so they break up, butonly because he starts to be seen
as more of a babysitter than apartner and wants to feel appreciated.
Which is basically what everymother who is the primary caregiver
of the children has ever orwill ever want. Women had to cater
(31:30):
to men's careers and wants andneeds for centuries. But even after
the breakup, George is stillthere to look after the kids because
he loves those kids and gooddads. Even if their stepdads are
hot dads. And so where iseveryone now? Well, Erin Brookovich
worked at Masri and Petito for12 years. When Ed Masri died in 2005,
(31:53):
she was holding his hand. Sheproved so vital at speaking to the
people in community meetingsin Hinkley that Masri always told
her he saw her career goingthe way of public speaking. In the
wake of the film, she triedher hand at TV with short lived shows
like Challenge America withErin Brookovich and Final Justice.
But Ed Masri was right.Because Ed Masri was always right.
(32:17):
Erin Brockovich became a wellknown public speaker and activist.
She also became a grandmotherand with that started to look into
women's health issuesincluding contraception issues and
menopause support. ErinBrockovich, the movie, not the woman
feels like such a weirdanomaly in 2025. 25 years later,
(32:37):
a movie like this wouldprobably end up on Netflix. It wouldn't
be a big cinema movie. Thefact it was re released in cinemas
only a couple of weeks ago forits 25th birthday is just testament
to the strength of this movie.Not just of its performances or its
feel good earnestness, but forthe sad fact that the environment
is something we shouldactually all care about. We should
(33:00):
be investing in ways to ensurethings like this never happen again.
Even though they did, and theydo, multiple times. Billionaire companies
can sit in their ivory towersignoring the pollution issue for
as long as possible, andsomehow their consciences remain
clear. But the truth is,without people like Erin Brockovich,
not necessarily the legalsystem which is always in favour
(33:22):
of lawyers making as muchmoney as possible, these people or
people like them would neverhave received any sort of justice.
And while of course the payoutwas record breaking at the time,
it's still nothing compared tothe pain and suffering of those people
and the fact they'll have tolive with their illnesses for the
rest of their lives. This isthe story of how a multi billion
(33:44):
dollar company knowingly andwillfully poisoned the ground for
years, leading to decades ofdisease, death and trauma for an
entire town paid next tonothing to settle the subsequent
lawsuit, and then continuedwith business as usual afterwards.
Regardless of statements tothe contrary, it's tragic that human
lives cost so little to otherhumans, regardless of the outcome.
(34:08):
The fact we got a movie out ofthis story is astonishing. The story
itself is astonishing. AndErin Brockovich will always be the
name people think of when theythink of a woman who fights for justice.
A woman with three kids, twoex husbands, one Ms. Pacific coast
title, and no law degree.Women get sh. T done. Ah, my family
(34:30):
friendly filter is still on.Unlike Erin. Thank you for listening.
As always, I would love tohear your thoughts on Erin Brockovich
and thank you for yourcontinued support of this podcast.
If you want to get involvedand help this podcast grow, that
would be incredible. You couldleave a rating or review wherever
you found this podcast. Youcan find me all across social media.
(34:51):
I am erbaldiorama where youcan like and share posts and comment
on posts to help the reach ofthis podcast get out there. Or you
could just simply tell yourfriends and family about this podcast
or about this episode ifthey're a particular fan of Erin
Brockovich. So the finalepisode of Women's History Month
is focusing on women in sportand it's movie very loosely based
(35:16):
on the life and career ofAmerican figure skater Tonya Harding
and her connections to the1994 assault on her rival Nancy Carrigan.
It's based on contradictoryand totally true interviews with
Harding and her ex husbandJeff Gillooly. The next episode is
on the history and legacy of ITonya. I hope you will join me next
(35:39):
week for I, Tonya Now. Whileit is completely Free to listen to
this podcast. It unfortunatelyis not free to make a podcast. There
are a lot of expenses thatpeople aren't necessarily aware of
that go into putting thispodcast out there to be free to everyone
to listen to. I considermyself very lucky that I have some
incredible people who enjoywhat I do enough to support me financially.
(36:02):
If you wish to join them,you're under no obligation. But if
you wish, there are two waysyou can contribute. The first is
verbaldiorama.com tips and youcan give a one off tip or you can
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They are Claudia, Simon,Laurel, Derek, Kat, Andy, Mike, Luke,
(36:26):
Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa,Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas,
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(36:47):
find all episodes there. Youcan find episode descriptions and
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fill out too. You can alsofind bits that I do@filmstories.co.uk
you can find copies of themagazine that I write for and also
articles as well. And finally. Bye.
I'm Em. Welcome to verbaldiorama, episode 292, Erin Brockovich.
This is the podcast that's allabout the history and legacy of movies
you know, and movies you don'tthat can just walk in there and find
what you need. They're calledboobs. Listeners, welcome to Bubble
Diorama. Whether you're abrand new listener to this podcast,
welcome back, regularreturning listeners. Thank you for
(02:39):
being here. Thank you forchoosing to listen to this podcast.
I am, as always, so happy tohave you here for the History Legacy
of Erin Brockovich. It isWomen's History Month, and so, unsurprisingly,
all of the episodes this monthon Verbal Diorama are celebrating
women. The history and legacyof women you know and women you don't,
(02:59):
from all walks of life, fromwarriors to queens to single mothers
and also women in sport. Lastweek we had the unmarried virgin
Queen of England. This week,someone a little more twice divorced.
But before we jump into that,thank you so much to everyone who
continues to support andlisten to this podcast and has done
(03:21):
for the last six years andover 290 episodes. It means so much
to have people listening tothis podcast, conversing with this
podcast. And by that, I meanme on social media about the episodes
of this podcast. It is agenuine joy in my life, this podcast.
And don't get me wrong, it'shard work to do this podcast, but
there are women out there whoare working 10 times harder than
(03:43):
me. Women like Erin Brockovichwho really deserve to be featured
and talked about and, I don'tknow, have a movie made of their
life. Now, if you listen to myprevious episodes on the Woman King
and Elizabeth, you'll rememberI mentioned them being slightly inaccurate
in the former and heavilyinaccurate in the latter. But this
(04:03):
is a movie that is mostlyaccurate to what really happened.
There are a few embellishmentshere and there and some timeline
changes, but otherwise, thisis the real story of an unemployed
single mother of threestruggling after a car accident who
persuades her way into aclerk's job at the law firm that
represented her, where sheuncovers the contamination of a small
(04:24):
town's drinking water, whichwould lead to one of the biggest
class action lawsuits inAmerican history. Here's the trailer
for Erin Brockovich.
(06:58):
Erin Brockovich, an unemployedsingle mother, is involved in a car
accident after leaving afailed job interview. And her outbursts
in court lead to a failedlawsuit against the other driver.
At her wit's end, shepersuades her lawyer to give her
a job to compensate for theloss. With her appearance and attitude
winning her no popularityfavors, she begins to investigate
(07:20):
a suspicious real estate caseinvolving the Pacific Gas and Electric
Company. She discovers thecompany is quietly trying to buy
land that was contaminated byhexavalent chromium, deadly toxic
waste that the companyimproperly and illegally dumped in
turn poisoning the residentsof Hinckley, California. As she digs
deeper, Erin finds herselfmore evidence and more plaintiffs
(07:44):
that would involve her lawfirm in one of the biggest class
action lawsuits in Americanhistory against a multi billion dollar
corporation. Let's run throughthe cast of this movie. We have Julia
Roberts as Erin Brockovich,Albert Finney as Ed Masri, Aaron
Eckhart as George, MargHelgenberger as Donna Jensen, Tracy
(08:05):
Walter as Charles Embry, PeterCoyote as Kurt Potter, Cherry Jones
as Pamela Duncan, KochataFerrell as Brenda and Adila Barnes
as Anna, with cameos from thereal Erin Brockovich as the waitress
Julia and the real Edward ElMasry as the diner sitting behind
(08:26):
the family in the restaurant.And also Judge leroy A. Simmons.
The judge in Barstow whodelivered a key ruling in the case
is played by the actual Judge,leroy A. Simmons. Erin Brockovich
was written by Susanna Grantand directed by Stephen Soderbergh.
When we reach to the kitchentap for a glass of water, the last
(08:48):
thing we think about isgroundwater contamination. And why
would we, we trust thecompanies providing us with utilities
to our homes, like gas andelectricity and running water. That
those utilities are beingprovided safely under strict protocols
through clean pipes, fullyoperational power lines managed by
(09:09):
a team of professionals. Waterbeing especially important. We drink
it, cook with it, wash in it,swim in it, water plants with it.
Not once would we question thesafety of our water or the trustworthiness
of the company providing us.And so if you heard a story about
an unemployed single motherwho had not only found out about
(09:30):
serious groundwatercontamination, had evidence of the
medical issues it had led to,and who then put a case together
to not only file a lawsuitagainst a multi billion dollar corporation,
but had won the lawsuit,earning a landmark $333 million payout
for the victims, you'dprobably want to make a movie out
(09:50):
of it too, because it soundsmade up, but it's not made up. The
story is, according to erinBrookovich herself, 98% accurate
to the real true story of hertakedown of Pacific Gas and Electric.
And it really did all startwith a car accident. A car accident
that left the genuine ErinBrookovich needing the help of a
(10:12):
lawyer as well as a goodchiropractor. That chiropractor was
Pam Dumond, and in 1993,Brockovich was referred to Dumond
for help with the pain she wasexperiencing after her car crash.
During their sessions,Brockovich would tell Dumond stories
about her life, her kids, andthe new job she'd started as an assistant
(10:32):
in a law firm. That law firmwas Masri Empetito, the same law
firm that had represented herfor her car accident compensation.
Each session she would tellDumond what she was doing with her
work, like visiting peoplewith all sorts of answers and investigating
pollution in the water supply.Dumond started sharing Brockovich's
(10:52):
story with a friend of hers,Carlos Santos Schamburg. Her husband
was Michael Schamberg, who wasa partner of Danny DeVito. Together
with Stacey Scher, they cofounded production company Jersey
Films, which had producedfilms like Pulp Fiction and Get Shorty
Dumond told Brockovich thatshe'd shared her story and would
she be interested in meetingwith Jersey Films about a possible
(11:16):
film adaptation of her life?And so in 1997, a meeting was set
up between Brockovich, CarlosSantos Schamburg, Michael Schamberg
and Danny DeVito. Brockovichtold them her story and everything
about it smacked of being agreat movie. So they told her they
wanted to buy the rights toher story for a potential movie.
But they made it clear thatjust because they buy the rights,
(11:38):
it doesn't mean a movie willdefinitely get made. Brockovich didn't
think anything else would comeof it until Susannah Grant came by
the Jersey Films officeslooking for a new writing project.
After picking up the rights,Jersey Films had contacted Callie
Corey, the writer of Thelmaand Louise, to write the screenplay.
Corey passed, but then Grantlanded on their doorstep shortly
(12:01):
after, specifically wanting towrite a movie about a strong female
character. She'd written thescreenplay forever after, and executives
mentioned that the story theyhad was a legal story. Grant met
Brockovich over lunch, securedthe Reiting gig, and they agreed
it shouldn't be a courtroomdrama, but that it should be as accurate
(12:21):
to the real story as possible.Grant shadowed Brockovich and her
family for a year and wentover trial transcripts, Waterboard
records and Brockovich's ownnotes. She also went to visit Hinkley
and recalled the shock ofseeing the clear line of demarcation
around the pumping stationbetween living and dead trees. In
(12:41):
fact, if you look at Hinkleyon Google Maps satellite view now
it's clear the amount ofdemolished housing, but also surprising
how many houses still remainin the area. Now we've all played
the who would play you in theHollywood movie of your life game.
For me, it's Emily Blunt. Butwhen asked who she wanted to play
(13:02):
her, Erin Brockovichoriginally suggested Goldie Horn
and that someone like JuliaRoberts was a pipe dream. The real
Ed Masri joked that Robertsboobs weren't big enough and her
mouth wasn't foul enough. Butas it happened, someone at the ICN
talent agency slipped thescript to Julia Roberts agent who
called to say she wasinterested in playing Erin Brookovich.
(13:25):
This was even though the moviedidn't have a director and three
big name directors hadreportedly turned it down. And while
Julia Roberts may have neededchicken fillets and a removal of
her family friendly filter,one thing she also wanted was a substantial
paycheck. While men inHollywood like Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks,
Tom Cruise and SylvesterStallone had commanded $20 million
(13:49):
salaries for years, no womanhad ever been able to negotiate that
amount. Only Meg Ryan andJodie Foster had gotten remotely
close at $15 million. Robertswas the first female movie star to
break that $20 million glassceiling. But they had to work to
get it. Universal Pictures wasinitially reelected to hand Roberts
(14:10):
the record breaking paycheck.Her agent, Elaine Goldsmith Thomas,
convinced the studio bypointing out the double standard
of Roberts having five moviesthat grossed more than $100 million.
Male stars like LeonardoDiCaprio or Adam Sandler had commanded
$20 million salaries afterscoring only one hit of that magnitude,
(14:32):
let alone five. And in trueErin Brockovich style, the argument
won the day. Julia Robertsbecame the first female movie star
to get $20 million for aleading role. And it just so happened
she was getting it for ErinBrookovich as the big star in the
movie. One of the things JuliaRoberts would have a major say in
is choosing who the directorwould be. And this is where we get
(14:55):
to Steven Soderbergh, who'sonly taken 292 episodes to appear
on this podcast. AndSoderbergh has, for the most part,
had a history of treatingfemale characters with respect. His
most recent movie at that timewas out of Sight, which had included
a career best turn forJennifer Lopez. It's still one of
her best movies, and thechemistry between her and George
(15:17):
Clooney was palpable.Although, let's be honest, George
Clooney would probably havechemistry with a paper bag. Steven
Soderbergh was captivated bythe relationship between Erin Brockovich
and Ed Masri and commented onthe human sized heroes at the center
of the story. What appealed tohim most about Erin Brockovich was
working with Julia Roberts ona film that would clearly expand
(15:40):
her horizons and alsodeveloping Brockovichian's character.
After Soderbergh came onboard, a meeting was held months
before principal photographybegan in mid-1999 to go over the
third draft of Grant's script.At that meeting were Ed Masri, Erin
Brookovich, Steven Soderbergh,Carlos Santos Schamberg, Susanna
(16:00):
Grant, Jersey co chairmanStacy Scherr and an attorney for
Universal. At the meeting,Soderbergh went through the script
line by line with Masri andBrockovich asking, did this happen?
If not, what did happen? Thebiggest change in the script to come
out of that meeting was thedecision to place more emphasis on
Masri's involvement.Originally, the movie had Brockovich
(16:23):
gathering the signatures ofHinckley residents to join the lawsuit,
but that was changed to showMasri's actual involvement, as well
as the toll it took on Masrito actually be involved. The real
lawsuit nearly bankrupted EdMasri. His law firm had run out of
money. He remortgaged his homeand the law firm didn't take on any
new cases. He had 30 to 60days of operating capital left when
(16:48):
he was joined in the fight bytwo other legal practices, Girardi
Kees and Engstrom Lipscomb andLack. Together they contributed $12
million of their own cash intowaging the legal fight against PG
and E. But any may be based ona true story that only happened a
few years prior. Is stilltreading on very dangerous ground
(17:08):
when you're depicting a realcase against a real billion dollar
corporation. In Grant'sscreenplay, which received uncredited
rewrite by screenwriterRichard Nagraval, real life Hindley
residents became composites.The two principal big city lawyers,
Girardi Keith from downdowntown Los Angeles and Engstrom
Lipscomb Lack from CenturyCity, who joined Masri invoicing.
(17:32):
PG and E were condensed fordramatic purposes into one man, Kurt
Potter, played by actor PeterCoyote. Donna Jensen was based mostly
on the story of Hinckleyresident Roberta Walker. Walker,
who had lived in Hinckleysince 1976, had two daughters who
had constant nosebleed afteryears of exposure to cranium 6. She
(17:54):
had five stomach surgeries andthree breast surgeries. Both of her
daughters had hysterectomiesand fibromyalgia. And her husband
was diagnosed with prostatecancer. In 1993, her home in Hinckley
was bought by PGE andbulldozed. They used the money from
the sale to move six milesaway. But in 2003, they were informed
that site wasn't safe either.PGE would buy this house from them
(18:18):
too. The movie was able toinclude explicit references to PG
and E without legalrepercussions, primarily because
the movie was based ondocumented facts from the actual
case, which was Andersonversus Pacific Gas and Electric,
which concluded in 1996 withPGE paying a $333 million settlement
(18:39):
to the residents of Hinckley,California. The legal proceedings,
evidence of hexavalentchromium contamination and PG and
E's actions were documented incourt records, which are public information.
Universal Studios and JerseyFilms had their legal teams thoroughly
review the scripts and thefinal film to ensure the portrayal
was accurate enough towithstand potential defamation claims.
(19:02):
And even if PGE did sue fordefamation, it would likely only
bring more attention to theoriginal case and potentially damage
the company's reputationfurther. Now, of course, it doesn't
mean everything in the moviewas completely accurate. Some scenes
were altered for dramaticeffect or for less dramatic effect,
like in real life. ErinBrockovich did become sick from exposure
(19:25):
to the toxins in the water inHinckley. But they felt that including
that as a subplot would takeaway from the people she was fighting
for. The scene where anattorney is presented with a glass
of water specially selectedfrom Hinckley was created for the
movie. But it did actuallyhappen at a trial. But as no trials
were shown, they decided tomove it elsewhere. How Erin finds
(19:47):
out about the pumping stationrecords is different too. There was
no mysterious older manfollowing her around and finally
telling her that he worked atpumping station and he'd been ordered
to destroy documents. In reallife, there were two whistleblowers,
a man and a woman. All thefacilities historical records were
dumped at a place known as theBoneyard. The man and woman used
(20:08):
five pickup trucks overseveral nights between 10pm and 5am
to dump the records whichstated how much chromium was put
in the system between 1952 and1986. Brockovich was sitting in a
bar on Highway 58 when anolder man she had met before approached
her. And just like in themovie, she thought he wanted to pick
(20:28):
her up. But instead he toldher off the boneyard. And that is
how they got the necessaryevidence to prove the corporate PG
and E knew about what PG&E inHinckley was doing. Her boyfriend,
George Halaby, didn't livenext door. They met at a bar. He
actually noticed herpotentially being roofied, stopped
her from drinking the drinkand offered to buy her a better one.
(20:51):
He was a ponytailed biker dudeand he was the one who introduced
her to lawyer Jim Petito, notEd Masri. And she was Ms. Pacific
coast, not Ms. Wichita. And itturned out having a movie made of
your life, and a successfulAcademy Award winning one at that,
which I'm going to come to, isLord Roses. Her then ex boyfriend,
(21:12):
George Hallaby, joined forceswith her first ex husband, Sean Brown,
to blackmail erin Brockovichfor $310,000, threatening to tell
the public she'd been havingan affair with Ed Masri. Her second
husband, Stephen Brockovich,sued her for defamation. And as the
Hinckley case received newattention, detractors started to
(21:33):
question whether cancer rateswere truly higher than average there.
While the movie was a hugesuccess, Julia Roberts performance
was lauded. And the real ErinBrookovich moved on to other cases.
The real residents ofHinckley, California were quietly
upset about the whole thing.Some of them suggested the movie's
ending misrepresented whathappened. And that the actual amounts
(21:55):
received were far less thanoriginally thought. Since the case
never went to trial and wassettled behind closed doors before
a panel of arbitrators.Neither transcripts of the proceeds
nor records of how thesettlement was dispersed have ever
been made available to thepublic or even to the victims themselves.
Had the case gone to trial,the transcript and the disbursement
(22:17):
would be a matter of publicrecord. As depicted in the movie.
Many of the residents wanted afull trial and didn't like the idea
of arbitration. The resultingcompensation was often a lot less
than expected, even taking thefees into account. And a number of
beneficiaries to thesettlement planned to sue their lawyers,
including Brockovich's firm,Masri and Petito. They also complained
(22:40):
that their lawyers kept themoney for six months after the settlement
was made without paying theinterest, and that there was little
or no apparent logic behindthe varying amounts of money that
they received. Although someresidents suggested that the closer
you were with Masri andBrockovich, the more money you ended
up receiving. Under theiragreement with Ed Masri and the two
(23:01):
other law firms, the lawyersreceived 40% the settlement, or $133
million. That should have left$200 million for the victims, or
roughly $300,000 each. Butmany received $100,000 or less, and
neither PG&E nor the lawyerswould release records of their accounting.
(23:22):
There was also the issue ofthe settlement to the town's 100
sick children. UnderCalifornian law, lawyers are only
usually allowed to take 25% ofany payout to minors. But the judges
in this case allowed thelawyers to take one third. The clients
also claimed they were billedan extra $10 million for undetailed
expenses. And as for PG&E,they released a statement ABC News
(23:46):
in 2021, following an articlepublished on the real story of the
town. Three decades after ErinBrockovich's crusade to clean a Pinkley
quote At Pacific Gas andElectric company pge, the safety
of our customers, communitiesand employees is our most important
responsibility. We have takenmany actions in support of our commitment
(24:09):
to clean up groundwatercontamination stemming from the use
of chromium 6 at our naturalgas compressor station in Hinkley
in the 1950s and 1960s. Aspart of a long term remedial process,
PGE evaluated numerous cleartechnologies to determine the best
approach. Our solution, whichhas been approved by regulators,
(24:30):
utilizes treatment in placesystems in areas that have the highest
levels of chromium. One of thelargest in place barrier treatment
systems for metals in theworld and an innovative and sustainable
remediation method that treatslower levels of chromium by growing
alfalfa and other foddercrops. PGE has made significant progress
(24:50):
in cleaning up the highestconcentrations of Chronium 6 in groundwater.
The remedy has removed morethan 5,600 pounds of Chromium 6 from
groundwater to date,representing more than 70% of the
estimated release. Bypartnering with local farmers, PGE's
agricultural operations boostthe local economy, preserve farmland,
(25:11):
support California's climatechange goals and foster working relationships
towards shared communitygoals. To facilitate this work and
in response to property ownersrequest request, PGE has purchased
properties and undevelopedland in Hinckley. As we responsibly
manage our cleanup, PGE isworking with community stakeholders
to help plan for Hinkley'sfuture. We are committed to doing
(25:34):
what's right for the Hinkleycommunity and we will be here until
we finish the job. PGE remainscommitted to listening and responding
to the Hinckley community withreadily available information about
our programmes. PGE alsocontinues to work with key community
stakeholders to improve ourlocal presence in the Hinckley community
and support communityinvestment priorities focusing on
(25:56):
youth health and wellness,education and workforce development.
Our local community officecontinues to partner with the county
and local nonprofits forworkforce training, health fairs,
community cleanup days andeducational tours. Unquote. Sure,
Jan, it's now time to segueinto the obligatory Keanu reference
(26:18):
of this episode. And if youdon't know what that is where I joined
the movie that I'm featuringwith Keanu Reeves. And let's be brutally
honest here, finding out thathexavalent chromium was giving kids
cancer would be enough forKeanu Reeves to go full John Wick
on PG&E's asses. ErinBrockovich released on 17 March 2000
(26:39):
in the US and was an immediatesmash hit. It opened at number one
at the domestic box office,staying there for three weeks, only
being dethroned in its fourthweek by rules of Engagement, Erin
Brockovich came out the sameweek as Final Destination and Romeo
Must Die. It even saw off theRoad to El Dorado in its third week
by only a million dollars orso on its $52 million budget. Which
(27:03):
is even more remarkable whenyou realize that $20 million of that,
that's 38% of the budget justpaid Julia Roberts on his $52 million
budget. Erin Brockovichgrossed $125.6 million domestically
in the US and $130.7 millioninternationally for a total worldwide
(27:24):
gross of $256.3 million. Itwas the 10th highest grossing film
in North America for the year2000. It has an 85% of Rotten Tomatoes
stating Taking full advantageof Julia Roberts considerable talent
and appealing, Erin Brockovichovercomes a few character and plot
issues to deliver a smart,thoughtful and fully legal drama.
(27:47):
With almost all criticsshowering Roberts and Albert Finney
with praise for theirperformances and the critical praise
towards Roberts and Finneycontinued into awards season. Erin
Brockovich was nominated forfive Academy Awards, including Best
Picture, Best Director, BestActress for Roberts, Best Supporting
Actor for Finney, and BestOriginal Screenplay. Julia Roberts
(28:11):
would win her first and so faronly Academy Award for Best Actress.
She would also take home theBest Actress BAFTA with the film
being nominated for six baftasin total for Best Picture, Best Director,
Best Actress, Best SupportingActor for Albert Finney, Best Original
Screenplay and Best Editing.And Julia Roberts would take the
(28:31):
Golden Globe for Best Actresstoo, as well as the the SAG Award
for Best Actress and theCritics Choice Award as well. Don't
feel too bad for StevenSoderbergh, though. He was nominated
for Best Director AcademyAwards twice that year, once for
Erin Brookovich and once forTraffic. And he took home the award
for Traffic. This Women'sHistory Month will be told many stories
(28:53):
of women fighting for rightsfor education to be heard. What I
love about the Erin Brockovichstory isn't so much the story itself,
although it is remarkable, butthe story of Erin. Not only was she
a single mother, but also anunemployed single mother. Those two
things are often vilified bysociety as a whole. So you have this
(29:18):
vilified unemployed singlemother also dressed in a certain
way that didn't cover hershoulders and her ankles. Oh my.
By all accounts, Julia Robertswardrobe in this movie is modest
compared to what Brockovichactually wore. And it goes a long
way to promote the Don't Judgea book by its cover saying don't
judge women who wear shortskirts or tight tops. Don't judge
(29:41):
single mothers. Don't judgeunemployed people. Erin Brockovich
may not have been book smart,but she was smart. She was tenacious,
she was resourceful, she washard working. And all it took was
someone to give her a chance.Look what incredible single mothers
can do if they're given achance. Look what any incredible
(30:02):
woman could do if she werejust given that chance to shine.
Now, of course, it does helpthat she's played by Julia Roberts
in this movie. And JuliaRoberts was on a hot Streak at the
time. After starring in MyBest Friend's Wedding, Conspiracy
Theory, Stepmom, Notting Hilland Runaway Bride, she was indisputably
the world's most famousactress. With a killer smile, but
(30:25):
with the chops to pull it alloff. Julia Roberts is a natural in
this role. Erin may have apotty mouth, but she's lovable and
dedicated and refuses to giveup her newfound success for anyone.
No fancy law degree orbusiness suit can match the genuine
empathy, hope and friendshipoffered to the people of Hinckley
(30:46):
by Erin Brockovich. And JulianRoberts just taps into that. It's
a star making turn for thebiggest star in the world and we're
all here just to see JuliaRoberts shine and get that well deserved
Academy Award for thisperformance because she is genuinely
terrific. It's also refreshingto see a 2000 movie where a man is
(31:07):
seen to be a primary caregiversupporting a woman in her career.
Okay, so they break up, butonly because he starts to be seen
as more of a babysitter than apartner and wants to feel appreciated.
Which is basically what everymother who is the primary caregiver
of the children has ever orwill ever want. Women had to cater
(31:30):
to men's careers and wants andneeds for centuries. But even after
the breakup, George is stillthere to look after the kids because
he loves those kids and gooddads. Even if their stepdads are
hot dads. And so where iseveryone now? Well, Erin Brookovich
worked at Masri and Petito for12 years. When Ed Masri died in 2005,
(31:53):
she was holding his hand. Sheproved so vital at speaking to the
people in community meetingsin Hinkley that Masri always told
her he saw her career goingthe way of public speaking. In the
wake of the film, she triedher hand at TV with short lived shows
like Challenge America withErin Brookovich and Final Justice.
But Ed Masri was right.Because Ed Masri was always right.
(32:17):
Erin Brockovich became a wellknown public speaker and activist.
She also became a grandmotherand with that started to look into
women's health issuesincluding contraception issues and
menopause support. ErinBrockovich, the movie, not the woman
feels like such a weirdanomaly in 2025. 25 years later,
(32:37):
a movie like this wouldprobably end up on Netflix. It wouldn't
be a big cinema movie. Thefact it was re released in cinemas
only a couple of weeks ago forits 25th birthday is just testament
to the strength of this movie.Not just of its performances or its
feel good earnestness, but forthe sad fact that the environment
is something we shouldactually all care about. We should
(33:00):
be investing in ways to ensurethings like this never happen again.
Even though they did, and theydo, multiple times. Billionaire companies
can sit in their ivory towersignoring the pollution issue for
as long as possible, andsomehow their consciences remain
clear. But the truth is,without people like Erin Brockovich,
not necessarily the legalsystem which is always in favour
(33:22):
of lawyers making as muchmoney as possible, these people or
people like them would neverhave received any sort of justice.
And while of course the payoutwas record breaking at the time,
it's still nothing compared tothe pain and suffering of those people
and the fact they'll have tolive with their illnesses for the
rest of their lives. This isthe story of how a multi billion
(33:44):
dollar company knowingly andwillfully poisoned the ground for
years, leading to decades ofdisease, death and trauma for an
entire town paid next tonothing to settle the subsequent
lawsuit, and then continuedwith business as usual afterwards.
Regardless of statements tothe contrary, it's tragic that human
lives cost so little to otherhumans, regardless of the outcome.
(34:08):
The fact we got a movie out ofthis story is astonishing. The story
itself is astonishing. AndErin Brockovich will always be the
name people think of when theythink of a woman who fights for justice.
A woman with three kids, twoex husbands, one Ms. Pacific coast
title, and no law degree.Women get sh. T done. Ah, my family
(34:30):
friendly filter is still on.Unlike Erin. Thank you for listening.
As always, I would love tohear your thoughts on Erin Brockovich
and thank you for yourcontinued support of this podcast.
If you want to get involvedand help this podcast grow, that
would be incredible. You couldleave a rating or review wherever
you found this podcast. Youcan find me all across social media.
(34:51):
I am erbaldiorama where youcan like and share posts and comment
on posts to help the reach ofthis podcast get out there. Or you
could just simply tell yourfriends and family about this podcast
or about this episode ifthey're a particular fan of Erin
Brockovich. So the finalepisode of Women's History Month
is focusing on women in sportand it's movie very loosely based
(35:16):
on the life and career ofAmerican figure skater Tonya Harding
and her connections to the1994 assault on her rival Nancy Carrigan.
It's based on contradictoryand totally true interviews with
Harding and her ex husbandJeff Gillooly. The next episode is
on the history and legacy of ITonya. I hope you will join me next
(35:39):
week for I, Tonya Now. Whileit is completely Free to listen to
this podcast. It unfortunatelyis not free to make a podcast. There
are a lot of expenses thatpeople aren't necessarily aware of
that go into putting thispodcast out there to be free to everyone
to listen to. I considermyself very lucky that I have some
incredible people who enjoywhat I do enough to support me financially.
(36:02):
If you wish to join them,you're under no obligation. But if
you wish, there are two waysyou can contribute. The first is
verbaldiorama.com tips and youcan give a one off tip or you can
go to verbaldiorama.compatreon and you can join the Patreon
subscriptions and you can jointhe incredible patrons of this podcast.
They are Claudia, Simon,Laurel, Derek, Kat, Andy, Mike, Luke,
(36:26):
Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa,Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas,
Zoe, Kev, Pete, Heather,Danny, Ali, Stu, Brett, Philip M.
Michelle, Zenos, Sean, Rhino,Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle, Aaron.
If you want to get in touch,you can email verbaldioramail.com
you can also go toverbaldiorama.com as well. You can
(36:47):
find all episodes there. Youcan find episode descriptions and
notes and everything as wellas a contact me form which you can
fill out too. You can alsofind bits that I do@filmstories.co.uk
you can find copies of themagazine that I write for and also
articles as well. And finally. Bye.
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