HBO has dropped the first trailer for the upcoming movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Starring Oprah Winfrey, Rose Byrne, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Courtney B. Vance, and Reg E. Cathey, the movie outlines the life of the family of Henrietta Lacks, the woman who posthumously contributed to science more than most scientists do in their lifetimes.
Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman died after developing cervical cancer back in 1951 at the age of 31. She was immortalised by science as her cancerous tissues are still extensively used in scientific research given their exceptional longevity.
Rose Byrne (left) as Rebecca Skloot and Oprah Winfrey (right) as Deborah Lacks, the daughter of Henrietta Lacks.
However, the usage of her cells raised an ethical issue as she never consented to donate her cells to science. Without her knowledge, Henrietta’s cells were harvested and then sent to John Hopkins from her hospital. Her cells were cultured and are now dubbed the HeLa cell line.
The film is based on the story of Henrietta Lacks, woman behind the HeLa cell lines, used extensively in cancer research.
The film is based on Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and has been directed by George C. Wolfe. Oprah Winfrey, who has also produced the film, stars in the drama film as Henrietta’s daughter, Deborah Lacks. Rose Byrne plays the role of Skloot as she pursues Deborah to dig deeper into the story of her mother.
The film has been slated for a release on April 22, 2017.
