There’s always a lot of activity when a celebrity arrives at a premiere: camera lights flashing, fans shouting their names. But when Simone Biles stepped onto the blue carpet Wednesday night to debut the second part of her revelatory Netflix documentary “Simone Biles Rising,” those screams were raised a few octaves higher.
That’s because the courtyard of Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater was packed with young girls who dream of one day being just like Biles: the greatest gymnast of all time. Taylor Swift’s anthem, “Look What You Made Me Do,” blared over the speakers (a subtle nod to the floor routine that earned Biles her second all-around gold medal) as she headed to sign autographs and take selfies with the young people.
“She is such an icon and a role model for women, for gymnasts, for athletes and for people who have to take care of themselves, put their mental health and their well-being above expectations and priorities,” said Katie Walsh, who directed ‘Simone Biles Rising,” shared Variety about Biles. “She is a living example of what we should all strive to be: overcome these challenges and rise above them.”
Biles’ fellow Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin was also amazed by the fanfare, saying she never expected to be on the red carpet for a movie about gymnastics. “It has always been a fan favorite sport every four years and she has taken that to another level,” Liukin said.
Biles, 27, has won 11 Olympic medals (seven gold, two silver and one bronze) and 30 World Championships medals (she has won the all-around competition six times) and she has helped usher in a new era for Black girls to thrive in the sport, but its impact goes far beyond that.
Simone Biles poses with fans at the “Simone Biles Rising” premiere event at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.
Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix
“Apart from the medals, she has changed – not just the sport of gymnastics – but I think the sport in general, with what she was able to do in Tokyo,” Liukin noted.
Biles withdrew from the team final of the 2020 Olympic Games after an attack of the ‘twisties’, a dangerous phenomenon in which a gymnast loses sight of himself in the air. In Biles’ case, the twisties were the result of overwhelming mental strain.
“We can all talk about mental health. We can all advocate for it and support it, but she did it in the most important event in our sport,” Liukin continued. “Nobody ever said, ‘My mental health is more important than one more medal, than one more match, than anyone else’s opinion – and there were a lot of opinions. Regardless of when she decides to be done with the sport, she is gone, leaving a legacy that I know will continue, not just for generations, but forever.
The four-episode docuseries captures it all, from that harrowing moment in Tokyo to Biles’ triumphant comeback this summer at the Paris Games. During the event, Netflix showed Episode 4 – the epic finale in which Biles competes in the Paris Olympics and completes her and Team USA’s “redemption tour” by earning four more medals. Her secret goal – shared only with Biles’ inner circle and the filmmakers of “Simone Biles Rising” – had been to “win the Olympics” with a team gold medal and the all-around gold medal. And she did it.
When asked what the most emotional part of the doctor was to look back on, Biles shared Variety that she doesn’t quite remember watching it.
“I know it’s that bad,” she said, laughing. “After the Olympics everything happened so fast, it was so blurry. But I remember watching it with my husband, and I got really emotional just because I couldn’t believe that I had accomplished everything. It was really exciting.”
But speaking about the legacy she leaves behind in mental wellness, Biles said it “means everything” to know she made a difference.
“I’ve always tried to be vulnerable, open and honest, and I’m going to continue that conversation because I think it’s really important,” she said. “I’ve hopefully helped so many people – I’ve gotten so many messages – so if I can do that, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
It turns out Biles has complicated feelings on the subject of legacy, which she revealed during the post-screening Q&A moderated by “Access Hollywood” and “House Guest” host Scott Evans. In the conversation, Evans mentioned a conversation they had backstage, with Biles wondering why the subject of “legacy” would come up.
“If you use the world legacy, it usually means you’re done. So I don’t have an answer for you,” Biles said, indicating her story is not over but she stopped short of making a statement on whether she plans to run for the 2028 Olympics in LA.
“Access Hollywood” and “House Guest” host Scott Evans leads a Q&A with Simone Biles and “Simone Biles” rising director Katie Walsh.
Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix
During the conversation, Biles shared more about her journey in the mental health field and why she was hesitant to speak out about certain elements with the public.
“I kind of picked and chose when I would speak to the media. [They] said, ‘What was your regimen this morning?’ And if I said ‘Therapy,’ they would want to know what I talked about in therapy,” Biles explained. “But that stuff was pretty sacred to me, because it’s my space, and what works for me might not work for other people.”
In the documentary she says that she went to therapy on the morning of the all-round final in Paris, but was afraid to be too open about it because she didn’t want people to think she was having a hard time, as she did in Tokyo.
“This was more of a strength for me: going in, doing my visualizations, just talking to her, whatever I needed,” she said. “It wasn’t a point of weakness, it was a point of strength. So I think that was hard because the media tried to spin it as, “Ooh, Simone was in therapy,” but once I did so well, they were like, “Oh, Simone has been in therapy!”
Changing perceptions about mental wellness has been a journey for Biles as well. When she first started therapy, she stopped after a few months because she felt better.
“I thought of it as a gymnastics injury,” Biles explained. “If you get hurt, you go to the doctor; they would say three to six weeks, or three to six months, otherwise you will have surgery.
So she couldn’t understand why she wasn’t completely okay after a year and felt she had to go back. What she realized was that taking care of your mental well-being is a forever thing.
“Everyone’s journey is unique and different, and I truly believe I will be in therapy for the rest of my life, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean I’m broken. That is strength.” As the crowd applauded in approval, Biles added, “You deserve that help.”
Simone Biles (second from left) with her parents Ron and Nellie Biles and sister Adria Biles.
Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix