The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a 2017 American drama television film directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne. It is based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Skloot and documents the story of Henrietta Lacks, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the 1950s, and whose cancer cells (later known as HeLa) would change the course of cancer treatment.
The film premiered on HBO on April 22, 2017.
Background In January 1951, Henrietta Lacks suffered complications while giving birth. A biopsy taken in February confirmed that she had cervical cancer. Lacks died in October, having never been told that cells from her tumor were being used for research; not sharing this information was common practice in the United States at the time. Cell biologist George Otto Gey found that the cells could be kept alive, and developed into what isat the time of writingthe oldest immortalised cell line and one of the most commonly used in medical (not just cancer) research; previously, cells cultured from other human cells would survive for only a few days, but cells from Lacks' tumor behaved differently.
Cast
Oprah Winfrey as Deborah Lacks Rose Byrne as Rebecca Skloot Renée Elise Goldsberry as Henrietta Lacks Courtney B. Vance as Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield Reg E. Cathey as Zakariyya Lacks Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Dr. Roland Pattillo Leslie Uggams as Sadie Reed Birney as Dr. George Gey John Douglas Thompson as Lawrence Lacks Adriane Lenox as Barbra Lacks Roger Robinson as Day Lacks Rocky Carroll as Sonny Lacks Kyanna Simone Simpson as Teenage Deborah Lacks Tian Richards as Young Lawrence Lacks
Production The film was announced on May 2, 2016, with Alan Ball and Oprah Winfrey as executive producers. George C. Wolfe would direct the film, with Winfrey taking the role of Lacks' daughter Deborah. In July, Rose Byrne was cast as Rebecca Skloot, the author of the book about Henrietta, who befriends Deborah while reporting on her mother's life, and Renée Elise Goldsberry was cast as the titular Henrietta Lacks. The core supporting cast was rounded out in August 2016, with Courtney B. Vance, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Reg E. Cathey and Leslie Uggams amongst them. After several weeks of shooting in Atlanta, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks began filming in Baltimore in September 2016. Two of Henrietta Lacks's sons, Zakariyya and Sonny, were consultants on the film.
Reception Critical reception The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with Winfrey's performance gaining high praise. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 69%, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. On Metacritic the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Accolades Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. Black Reel Awards for Television Outstanding Television Movie or Limited Series Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series Oprah Winfrey Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series Reg E. Cathey Outstanding Directing, TV Movie/Limited Series George C. Wolfe Outstanding Writing, TV Movie/Limited Series Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Limited Series Oprah Winfrey Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Television Movie Oprah Winfrey, Carla Gardini, Alan Ball, Peter Macdissi, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Rebecca Skloot, and Kathryn Dean Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Film – Non-Theatrical Release Cindy Tolan, Meagan Lewis, and Daniel Cabeza Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Movie Made for Television Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries George C. Wolfe Gracie Awards Made for TV Movie NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special Oprah Winfrey Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, and George C. Wolfe NAMIC Vision Awards Original Movie or Special Best Performance – Drama Oprah Winfrey Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television USC Scripter Awards Television Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, and George C. Wolfe ; Rebecca Skloot Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form – Adapted Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, and George C. Wolfe; Based on the book by Rebecca Skloot
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