New interviews accompanying the Venice premiere of Alex Gibney's documentary "Musk" reveal that Ashley St Clair, an ex-partner of Elon Musk and mother of his 13th child, turned down an alleged $40 million non-disclosure agreement in order to speak in the film. St Clair, a former right-wing commentator who says she now regrets promoting conservative and anti-trans views she held from age 18, said she wanted to model honesty for her children rather than material comfort. Her participation adds a personal dimension to the near four-hour film, which examines Musk's outsized influence and, according to Gibney, was originally intended to be much shorter before Musk's growing ties to Donald Trump expanded its scope.

At a press conference alongside Gibney and tech journalist Zoë Schiffer, St Clair and the director both criticised Musk's capacity for empathy, with Gibney calling him "very dangerous" and saying he struggles to see things from others' perspectives. Gibney, an Oscar-winning filmmaker known for films on Enron, the Catholic Church and Scientology, said many potential interviewees declined to speak out of fear, and that Musk himself, who has a net worth of roughly $900 billion, declined to be interviewed and has previously dismissed the project as a "hit piece". The film, which premieres on Tuesday, argues Musk's reputation as a visionary genius masks a pattern of illusion and misdirection.