Oprah Winfrey has released stills from her movie adaptation of the Henrietta Lacks story.
Set to premiere on HBO in April, the movie will tell the true story of an African-American woman Henrietta whose cells were stolen by unscrupulous doctors who then used them to fill the pockets of pharmaceutical companies.
Why her cells were so valuable?
They were immortal.
More below…
Oprah’s retelling of the story will be told through the eyes of Henrietta’s daughter Deborah Lacks and is supported by Rebecca Skloot’s book of the same name.
Oprah stands as one of the project’s executive producers and is expected announce a due date for its release as well as unlock its trailer in the coming weeks.
‘Shadow and Act’ adds:
Joining Winfrey in front of the camera are some stellar actors including Renee Elise Goldsberry, Courtney B. Vance, Leslie Uggams, Rocky Carroll, Rose Byrne, Reg E. Cathey, Reed Birney, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, John Douglas Thompson, Adriane Lenox, Kyanna Simone Simpson and Roger Robinson.
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I must see this. Can I just say how it’s a shame that Beyonce never used her time in Hollywood to make movies like this.
Because she can’t act.
This is such an important story for African Americans. Anyone who has studied biology is familiar with HeLa cells but we’re probably never told that they originate from an extraordinary African American woman. Her cells can reproduce rapidly and can be split multiple times without dying while the average cell can only survive a few days. Her cells have been used to research cures for polio, cancer and A***. Henrietta and her family have unknowingly saved millions of lives.
This is an important story for EVERYONE. This African American woman should be celebrated by all for her contributions to medicine even if horrible people took advantage of her for their own gain.
Just watched that entire documentary. Very interesting indeed
This is truly fascinating…Oprah AND Alan Ball are producing! C’mon April
I just watched that entire documentary. That was so informative and actually really good. Anyone intellectually curious, I would definitely suggest watching! 😉