‘Erin Brockovich,’ 20 Years Later: “I See So Many of Us Finding That Courage to Stand Up” (2024)

Amid a coronavirus pandemic, the harrowing outlook of climate change and the rollback of Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, Erin Brockovich may be just as resonant today if not more so than when it was released two decades ago on March 17, 2000. And the activist herself keeps fighting the good fight.

“We were somehow convinced that our voice wasn’t going to matter, or we felt silenced or not heard,” Brockovich recalls to The Hollywood Reporter of her work to help spotlight a utility’s poisoning of residents in California’s Mojave Desert.

The twice-divorced mother of three, with no formal legal education, was instrumental in the class-action lawsuit against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in 1993. The lawsuit exposed that the company had been leading toxic chemicals into the groundwater in Hinkley, California. In 1996, the investor-owned utility paid $333 million to the residents of the tiny desert community — the largest settlement the company had paid out for an environmental lawsuit.

Since then, Brockovich has sensed a shift in the culture concerning the environment. “That’s what the past 20 years has kind of been. From so many young girls saying, ‘I loved the film. It inspired me to go to law school. It inspired me to get involved in environmental policy,'” Brockovich says. “About 99 percent of the time, it’s the mothers. They are actually getting things done in their own city council, in their own backyard. They no longer have the comfort to believe an agency has our back.”

Because she spent so much time in Hinkley examining the water supply, Brockovich got sick during the time of the lawsuit. There are scenes in the film in which her character seems to have the flu, though a sequence shot in the hospital was ultimately cut. “My white [blood cell] count was dropping dramatically,” she explains. “My immune system was failing.” And she has yet to get her white count tested. “I still worry about it today.”

‘Erin Brockovich,’ 20 Years Later: “I See So Many of Us Finding That Courage to Stand Up” (1)

Produced by Jersey Films (Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher), directed by Steven Soderbergh and penned by Susannah Grant, Erin Brockovich starred Julia Roberts as the environmental activist and consumer advocate.

But Erin Brockovich may not have made it to the big screen without a story-savvy chiropractor telling patient Carla Santos Shamberg — the wife of producer Michael Shamberg — about the activist who was also a patient.

“Honestly, without Carla it wouldn’t have happened,” notes Sher, whose latest production is the upcoming FX on Hulu series Mrs. America. “Carla’s chiropractor literally said, ‘I know this woman and her life would make an incredible movie,'” she recalls. “So, part of the miracle of this is Carla meeting Erin and instantly recognizing how extraordinary Erin was.”

“We think of her as such a superhero,” Sher says. “It’s easy to forget how vulnerable she was.”

In fact, Sher notes, the trait was the key to portraying Brockovich. “I was really struck by the story she told me about how she discovered [the contamination on Hinkley]. She’s dyslexic and was worried she was going to file something wrong and was going through everything really carefully and then started finding these medical records and trying to figure out why there were medical records in real estate files. She started asking questions because she’s so bright and cares so much. I think she said to me once, ‘I always felt destined to do something. I just didn’t know what it was.'”

Screenwriter Grant recalls that at this time in Brockovich’s life, “she has just as many weaknesses as she has strengths. What I kind of loved about her was the moment in her life in which so many calamities which had been a liability to her in other situations — her relentlessness, her inability to take no for an answer; suddenly, they were exactly what was needed.”

The screenwriter spent time with Brockovich while developing the film. “At that time in her life, she was doing a lot of driving around in that area because there were other claims that were going on. She was driving back and forth and visiting with people. I would just ride along and had a tape recorder going the whole time,” Grant says. “She introduced me to a number of the people who had been plaintiffs in the case — all of whom had gag orders based on their settlements. What was wonderful was that Erin in her wisdom early on before the gag order been imposed had done videotape interviews with the plaintiffs.”

‘Erin Brockovich,’ 20 Years Later: “I See So Many of Us Finding That Courage to Stand Up” (2)

Upon its initial March 2000 release,Erin Brockovichreceived favorable notices from critics. “More akin to Silkwood or Norma Rae, the film zeroes in on a woman’s voyage of self-discovery brought about by a passionate conviction that a serious wrong must be righted,” read THR‘s review at the time. The film went on to earn $256.3 million globally and five Oscar nominations, including best film, director, screenplay, supporting actor for Albert Finney (who played Erin’s boss, lawyer Ed Masry) and best actress for Roberts. In addition to claiming the Oscar, Roberts also won the SAG Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for her performance as the most unlikely heroine who was outspoken, passionate, had a penchant for R-rated words and dressed in the shortest of skirts and the lowest cut of blouses.

Brockovich gets emotional when she talks about Masry, who died in 2005. “Ed was incredible,” she notes. “He allowed me to do me and didn’t stifle that. He said ‘No, I think she’s on to something and I’m going to support that.’ We did everything together. Those were some of the best times in my life. He had a great sense of humor. He understood people. He was OK to learn something from me and we learned from each other.”

She pauses. “He was always the best,” Brockovich says softly. “I was holding his hand with his son and his wife when he passed. One of the best friends I ever had.”

Besides lecturing about the environment, Brockovich is planing an upcoming podcast, a pilot at ABC called Rebel, which is inspired by her life, and a new book due in August titled Superman Is Not Coming. She also is a popular fixture on the lecture circuit.

“It starts as a child because I’m dyslexic,” she says. “Dyslexics are smart but because I was different, I was put in a box. It was a judgment. It was the perception you can’t dare to be different. When I started my work in Hinkley, I was relieved because I realized I wasn’t alone. They, too, were being pushed on.”

Brockovich remembers being told, “You’re not a doctor or lawyer or scientist. You’re a single mom.” She responds, “‘What? Where do you even think that I have to be any of that to be a human and tell you what I see is not right?’ That’s where I came from and I continue to be the same today. I see so many of us finding that courage to stand up.”

She describes Grant and Soderbergh as visionaries. “They just get the importance and value and the protection that we should have of the environment, how we need to find our voices and how we need to fight for it,” Brockovich notes.

Sher notes that Soderbergh took a chance on the directing style on Erin Brockovich. “He said at one point, ‘I’m going to shoot this like a Ken Loach film, really naturalistic,'” she notes. “‘So, you can forget that you’re watching that biggest movie star in the world.’ And we’re like, ‘That is brilliant. We’re all in on that, just don’t tell the studio.'”

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‘Erin Brockovich,’ 20 Years Later: “I See So Many of Us Finding That Courage to Stand Up” (2024)

FAQs

Did Erin Brockovich really get a $2 million dollar bonus? ›

As of 2016, Brockovich resides in Agoura Hills, California, in a house she purchased in 1996 with her US$2.5 million bonus after the Hinkley settlement.

Did Erin Brockovich end up with George in real life? ›

The character George--the biker boyfriend played by Aaron Eckhart--was based on Erin Brockovich-Ellis's Mexican-American biker boyfriend Jorge. Erin and Jorge did break up, but he did not leave her life.

What is the main message of Erin Brockovich? ›

Like Norma Rae and Silkwood, Erin Brockovich shows the strength it takes for a woman to stand up for a cause and be noticed in a man's world. That Brockovich (and Roberts) would come out a winner could be seen from the very beginning, but the process, rather than the result, became the most important thing.

How accurate was the movie Erin Brockovich? ›

Accuracy. On her website, Brockovich says the film is "probably 98% accurate". While the general facts of the story are accurate, there are some minor discrepancies between actual events and the movie, as well as a number of controversial and disputed issues more fundamental to the case.

Is Hinkley, CA still contaminated? ›

As of 2019, average Cr-6 levels for well water in Hinkley were still peaking at 100 times the maximum contaminant level (MCL) allowed in California, the only state with a standard for chromium. However, due to studies showing that drinking water may cause cancer, concerns about Cr-6 have escalated.

What is the real Erin Brockovich doing now? ›

She is currently working on cases in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Illinois and Missouri. Erin lives in Southern California with her husband, three children and 5 Pomeranians and admits to one guilty pleasure… shopping!

Did Erin Brockovich ever meet Julia Roberts? ›

Fox News: What's a fun fact about the movie that would surprise viewers today? Brockovich: You know, when I first met Julia Roberts, I was in a trailer preparing for my little cameo. She came in the door to my right. Remember, she wasn't going to hang out with me because she wasn't trying to mimic me for the role.

Did Erin Brockovich really dress like that? ›

Even as she dug up evidence for the lawsuit, she never once toned down her wardrobe or stopped her cursing. a company memo about short skirts and demanded that she be fired. "Some of the women in the office were really aggravated." she says. "Just because I dress this way doesn't mean I'm trashy or anything else.

How much did Ed Masry get from the settlement? ›

In September 1994, the parties agreed to arbitration, with a $400 million cap on any awards. PG&E agreed to settle after the arbitrators awarded the first 39 cases $133 million. Mr. Masry's firm got $40 million.

Did Erin Brockovich get a law degree? ›

Erin Brockovich is an American legal clerk and environmental activist, who, despite her lack of formal education in the law, was instrumental in building a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) of California in 1993.

What was Erin Brockovich's bonus supposed to be? ›

As in the film, attorney Ed Masry rewarded Erin Brockovich-Ellis with a $2-million bonus. The more than 600 Hinkley plaintiffs, many of whom had become seriously ill, were in the end left with $196 million to be divided between them. On average, each victim received $300,000.

Did Erin Brockovich have a cameo in the movie? ›

Erin was his legal assistant." As well as Brockovich's cameo, the Redditors are right in pointing out another Easter egg appears in the scene, with lawyer Ed Masry sitting behind Roberts in the diner scene.

Was Erin Brockovich autistic? ›

Brockovich is dyslexic. She was teased by her peers and negatively labeled by her teachers while growing up. Though this may have been discouraging, she persevered through school and got her JD from Lewis & Clark Law School in Oregon.

Did Erin Brockovich really date George? ›

The character George--the biker boyfriend played by Aaron Eckhart--was based on Erin Brockovich-Ellis's Mexican-American biker boyfriend Jorge. Erin and Jorge did break up, but he did not leave her life.

What illness did Erin Brockovich have? ›

In real life Brockovich herself became ill from the hexavalent chromium. Although not seen in the film, Erin Brockovich was actually hospitalised because of ingesting the hexavalent chromium.

What was the original bonus for Erin Brockovich? ›

As in the film, attorney Ed Masry rewarded Erin Brockovich-Ellis with a $2-million bonus. The more than 600 Hinkley plaintiffs, many of whom had become seriously ill, were in the end left with $196 million to be divided between them. On average, each victim received $300,000.

Did the residents of Hinkley get their money? ›

After arbitration for the first 40 people resulted in about $120 million, PG&E reassessed its position and decided to end arbitration and settle the case. It was settled in 1996 for $333 million, the largest settlement of a class action lawsuit in U.S. history at the time.

How much did Julia Roberts get paid for Erin Brockovich? ›

She received a then-unprecedented fees of $20 million and $25 million for her roles in Erin Brockovich (2000) and Mona Lisa Smile (2003), respectively. As of 2020, Roberts' net worth was estimated to be $250 million. People magazine has named her the most beautiful woman in the world a record five times.

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