Who Are Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey? Meet the Women Who Inspired 'She Said'

She Said is the highly anticipated biographical movie about The New York Times' investigation into historic allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein.

Directed by Maria Schrader, She Said is based on a screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz and the book of the same name, which was written by journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.

She Said follows the incredible work of Kantor and Twohey, played by Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan, as they worked tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth and expose Weinstein's shocking crimes, defeating every obstacle in the way.

On October 5, 2017, Kantor and Twohey broke their story, "Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades," in a New York Times article. It exposed three decades of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse at the hands of Weinstein, as well as proof of settlements and non-disclosure agreements that were used to cover up his offenses.

In the immediate aftermath of the article, Weinstein was fired from the board of his company, The Weinstein Company, and the furore sparked the rise of the #metoo movement.

Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year-sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York and he's also on trial in Los Angeles for further sex crimes.

For their work on the Weinstein story, Kantor and Twohey were the recipients of the Pulitzer Prize in 2018. The duo were also named in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about the real Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey from She Said.

Jodi Kantor

Jodi Kantor is an American journalist from New York City, best known for her work for The New York Times.

Over the years, she has focused on groundbreaking stories relating to the workplace, technology and gender and also served as the paper's Arts and Leisure editor.

She also covered two presidential campaigns during her time at The New York Times and is the author of the book, The Obamas, about the couple adjusting to life in the White House.

Audiences may also have heard of Kantor as she has contributed to CBS Mornings and has appeared on The Daily Show and The Today Show.

Another piece of her notable work was her article in 2015 titled "Inside Amazon." Co-written and researched by David Streitfeld, the article revealed the working conditions and management of white-collar staff at the company, sparking a response from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Speaking on CBS Mornings ahead of the movie's release on Friday, November 18, Kantor shared: "I'm so grateful for Zoe and the team behind this film because basically, they have taken the inspiration we feel about our work and have put it on the big screen. I think you see the bravery of these sources. The women are not shown as pure victims.

"They are shown as these adult women with a difficult choice to make, are they going to cooperate with this investigation? Why should they? There's an enormous risk for them but I think what you also see is the power of truth and the feeling that we really can confront a bully, we just have to do it together."

Megan Twohey

Megan Twohey is an American journalist and investigative reporter from Illinois.

Twohey is well known for her work at The New York Times, but she has also uncovered numerous scandals for Reuters, The Chicago Tribune and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Some of her investigative work has led to criminal convictions and helped introduce new laws to protect those most vulnerable. For example, her work on untested rape kits for the Chicago Tribune led to Illinois becoming the first U.S state to require every rape kit to be tested, with numerous states following suit.

Her work on doctors who had been convicted of sex or violent crimes still practicing in Illinois led to new legislation being introduced in the state for background checks to be carried out on all healthcare providers.

Twohey has received numerous accolades for her work, including the Sydney Award and the Michael Kelly Award for revealing the existence of underground networks where families could abandon their adopted children. For her work on the matter, she was also listed as a finalist for the Pulitzer prize in 2013.

As seen in She Said, Twohey and her colleague Michael Barbaro had investigated allegations of sexual misconduct by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, publishing numerous articles exposing his behavior.

Trump famously threatened to sue The New York Times, but ultimately, the Times stood by Twohey and Barbaro.

Ahead of the movie's release, Twohey shared on Instagram her excitement about the movie coming to the big screen.

She wrote on Instagram alongside a collection of images of She Said on various red carpets: "SHE SAID is in theaters today! Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard on the launch of this movie. Excited to have viewers plunge into our newsroom and meet our incredible sources on the big screen."

She Said is out in theaters now.