The 2017 New York Times article identifies former Miramax assistant Laura Madden as one of the first survivors to go on the record about her abuse. Played by Jennifer Ehle in "She Said," her retelling of the story in her interview with Kantor is deeply emotional. As Madden, who is also dealing with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer, Ehle explains to Kazan (as Kantor) what happened when she was alone with Weinstein in London in the late 1990s. Both the real investigation and "She Said" include other survivors, but Madden's experience in the movie is portrayed as crucial to the validity of the final article, especially when Madden (who's about to go into her mastectomy) calls Kantor to confirm she'll go on the record. This brings Kantor to tears and allows the reporting team to move to the next level of their investigation.
In a separate interview with The New York Times this year, Madden said she had no notes on the script when approached by producers but was upset and shocked at its early viewing, saying it was "kind of like watching your own car crash." She has since come around to the film after seeing it three times, and it helps to know her daughters, who also encouraged her to go on the record back in 2017, are proud of the film and their mother for standing up. "And it's so funny because it's so clear to them. It's wrong," Madden said. "You stand up and you be counted, and you don't allow yourself to be bullied. And it has really brought me much closer to them."
