Carey Mulligan has addressed the weight of responsibility she felt filming She Said

Trigger warning: sexual assault and harassment

The 2017 New York Times’ investigation of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was a watershed moment for women.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, led by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey prompted over 100 women to come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein, with some dating back over 30 years.

Kantor and Twohey released their best-selling memoir, She Said, in 2019, telling the behind-the-scenes story of their investigation and how it ignited the global #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. 

Now, five years after the #MeToo movement and amid Weinstein's new trial, facing four charges of rape and seven counts of sexual assault, the film adaptation of She Said is set for release.

The star-studded film adaptation sees Brad Pitt come on board as a producer and stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as the two key investigative reporters.

Speaking to PEOPLE at the Los Angeles She Said premiere, 37-year-old Mulligan opened up about the responsibility she felt.

"I think we felt that weight of responsibility, and I felt that on other jobs," she explained. "I think particularly when you play a real person, you have that, but the stories that we were telling are so real and so recent, and not just to the people that were involved in the film, but to viewers, to an audience."

She continued: "You're aware that this story will impact people who go and see it in the cinema, so I think we all felt like it was a big task and we took it very seriously."

Going on to talk about her character, Megan Twohey, she added: "I've never played a person who's still alive. I played real people, but I've been reading autobiographies, so this was really exciting, and she's just the coolest person. So I wanted to be her friend. I wanted her to like me.

"Our kids hung out together, we had play dates, she brought her daughter to my son's birthday party, and she was just so generous. She was amazing."

She Said is set for UK release on 25 November 2022.

Harvey Weinstein is currently serving 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.