Gillian Anderson has opened up further about the controversy surrounding the source material her film The Salt Path.
In 2024, Anderson starred alongside The White Lotus’ Jason Isaacs in a big-screen adaptation of Raynor Winn’s book of the same name.
However, last year, Winn’s book – which was marketed as a memoir upon its release in 2018 – came under scrutiny after The Observer published a lengthy piece casting doubt on the legitimacy of some of the claims outlined within it.
“It was really disappointing, a huge letdown,” she told The Times of the debacle. “The story came out the week we were signing US distribution and Sony withdrew.”
She admitted: “We had been so surprised by its success: ‘What, really, this film about two old people going on a walk?’. It felt like such a betrayal because we’d spent time with [the Winns].”
Noting that she hasn’t heard from Winn since the Observer’s piece was published, Anderson added: “I was interested in the due diligence – like, how has it come to this? What degree of proof was there?
“They had told us that they couldn’t talk about [a previous] legal case because it was ongoing. Anyway. It was unfortunate.”
Last week, Anderson broke her silence on the controversy, telling Radio Times: “I think we were about to sign with Sony Classics [to distribute The Salt Path] for the United States the week when the article came out, so it sucked, and continues to suck.”
Around the same time, Isaacs also spoke about the thorny matter for the first time, insisting that he and Anderson had made a “beautiful film” and that “much of it is still completely valid”.
In Winn’s first book, she claimed that she and her husband Moth had walked the 600-mile length of the South West Coast Path after being made homeless.
She also wrote about Moth’s struggles with the neurodegenerative disease corticobasal degeneration (CBD), with which which he was diagnosed shortly before the couple lost their home.
The Observer’s original 2025 article raised questions about a number of parts in The Salt Path, including exactly what led to the couple being made homeless, and specific parts of Moth’s illness.
At the time, the writer’s legal team provided a statement to the outlet, which read: “The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.”
The Telegraph also published a longer version of this statement, which added: “[The] Observer article is highly misleading. We are taking legal advice and won’t be making any further comment at this time.”
