HBO Releases Trailer for Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, April 22nd Premiere Date

Broadway’s greats have gathered to bring the legacy of Henrietta Lacks to HBO. Her life began in 1920 in Roanoke, VA, but her legacy lives on today. In January of 1951, she received a  diagnosis of cervical cancer, which would be one of the important moments in medical history–and one of the most invasive.

Henrietta died in 1951 when the tumor spread throughout her body. During Henrietta’s treatment and diagnosis, her cells were taken without her consent or knowledge; her physicians would go on to use her cells for medical advancement. Twenty-four years passed until Lacks’ family became aware of this injustice.

Image: HBO

In 2010, Oprah Winfrey confirmed development of Rebecca Skloot’s critically acclaimed, bestselling nonfiction book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks into an HBO film. Filming began in 2016, and at long last, HBO has finally released a trailer!

The trailer features Broadway producer Winfrey as Lacks’ daughter, Deborah Lacks. The trailer feels as intense as Lacks’ story. Hamilton’s Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry plays the role of Henrietta. Even in the trailer, their connection seems palpable; Henrietta died when Deborah was just two and the trailer shows Deborah’s desperate pursuit for her mother’s memory.

The cast also features performances by Reg E. Cathey (The Shawshank Redemption), Adriane Lenox (Doubt: The Parable), and Courtney B. Vance (The People v. OJ Simpson, Lucky Guy),  Leslie Uggams (Deadpool, Hallelujah, Baby!), and Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Seven Guitars, Jitney). Shuffle Along’s George C. Wolfe directs from his screenplay adaptation of the novel.

The movie airs on HBO on April 22.

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