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2017 American television film
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a
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.
[1]
Cast
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.
[2] 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,
[3] and
Renée Elise Goldsberry was cast as the titular Henrietta Lacks.
[4] 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.
[5] After several weeks of shooting in
Atlanta , The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks began filming in
Baltimore in September, 2016.
[6]
[7] Two of
Henrietta Lacks 's sons, Zakariyya and Sonny, were consultants on the film.
[8]
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.
[9] On
Metacritic the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
[10]
Accolades
Year
Award
Category
Nominee(s)
Result
Ref.
2017
Black Reel Awards for Television
Outstanding Television Movie or Limited Series
Nominated
[11]
Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series
Oprah Winfrey
Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series
Reg E. Cathey
Nominated
Outstanding Directing, TV Movie/Limited Series
George C. Wolfe
Nominated
Outstanding Writing, TV Movie/Limited Series
Won
Online Film & Television Association Awards
Best Motion Picture
Nominated
[12]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Limited Series
Oprah Winfrey
Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Television Movie
Oprah Winfrey, Carla Gardini,
Alan Ball ,
Peter Macdissi ,
Lydia Dean Pilcher ,
Rebecca Skloot , and Kathryn Dean
Nominated
[13]
2018
Artios Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Film – Non-Theatrical Release
Cindy Tolan , Meagan Lewis, and Daniel Cabeza
Nominated
[14]
Critics' Choice Television Awards
Best Movie Made for Television
Nominated
[15]
Directors Guild of America Awards
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries
George C. Wolfe
Nominated
[16]
Gracie Awards
Made for TV Movie
Won
[17]
NAACP Image Awards
Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Nominated
[18]
Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Oprah Winfrey
Nominated
Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special
Peter Landesman ,
Alexander Woo , and George C. Wolfe
Nominated
NAMIC Vision Awards
Original Movie or Special
Won
[19]
Best Performance – Drama
Oprah Winfrey
Won
Satellite Awards
Best Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominated
[20]
USC Scripter Awards
Television
Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, and George C. Wolfe (screenwriters) ; Rebecca Skloot (author)
Nominated
[21]
Writers Guild of America Awards
Long Form – Adapted
Peter Landesman, Alexander Woo, and George C. Wolfe; Based on the
book by Rebecca Skloot
Nominated
[22]
References
^ Agard, Chancellor (February 14, 2017).
"Oprah Winfrey's Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks gets HBO premiere date" .
Entertainment Weekly .
Time . Retrieved June 14, 2018 .
^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 2, 2016).
"Oprah Winfrey To Star In HBO Films' 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
Penske Business Media . Retrieved September 29, 2016 .
^ Petski, Denise (July 15, 2016).
"Rose Byrne Joins Oprah Winfrey In HBO Films' 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
Penske Business Media . Retrieved September 29, 2016 .
^ Petski, Denise (July 25, 2016).
"Renée Elise Goldsberry Cast In HBO Films' 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
Penske Business Media . Retrieved September 29, 2016 .
^ Pedersen, Erik (August 11, 2016).
"Courtney B. Vance, Leslie Uggams, 7 Others Join Oprah Winfrey In HBO's 'Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
Penske Business Media . Retrieved September 29, 2016 .
^ Mayhugh, Jess (September 21, 2016).
"Oprah's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" Films in Baltimore This Week" .
Baltimore Magazine . Rosebud Entertainment. Retrieved September 29, 2016 .
^ Britto, Brittany (September 21, 2016).
"Oprah Winfrey spotted in Baltimore as 'Henrietta Lacks' movie films in city" .
The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore Sun Media Group. Retrieved September 29, 2016 .
^ Shechet Epstein, Sonia.
"Sloan Science & Film" . Sloan Science & Film .
Museum of the Moving Image . Retrieved April 14, 2017 .
^
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)" .
Rotten Tomatoes .
Fandango Media . Retrieved June 14, 2018 .
^
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" .
Metacritic .
CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 27, 2017 .
^
"Black Reel Awards for TV – Past Nominees & Winners by Category" .
Black Reel Awards . Retrieved December 18, 2021 .
^
"21st Annual Television Awards (2016-17)" . Online Film & Television Association . Retrieved May 15, 2021 .
^
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" . Emmys.com .
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 13, 2017 .
^
"2018 Artios Awards" . www.castingsociety.com . Retrieved January 18, 2018 .
^ Tapley, Kristopher (January 11, 2018).
" 'Shape of Water,' 'Big Little Lies,' 'Handmaid's Tale' Top Critics' Choice Awards" .
Variety . Retrieved January 11, 2018 .
^
"70th DGA Awards" .
Directors Guild of America Awards . Retrieved July 5, 2021 .
^
"2018 Gracies Gala Winners" .
Gracie Awards . Retrieved September 11, 2022 .
^ THR Staff (20 November 2017).
"NAACP Image Awards: 'Marshall,' 'Get Out,' 'Girls Trip' Dominate Film Nominations" .
The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 20 November 2017 .
^
"2018 NAMIC Vision Awards – Winners" . namic.com . Retrieved September 11, 2022 .
^
"2017 Satellite Awards" .
Satellite Awards .
International Press Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2021 .
^
"Past Scripter Awards" .
USC Scripter Award . Retrieved November 8, 2021 .
^ Littleton, Cynthia (December 7, 2017).
"Writers Guild Award TV Nominations: 'The Americans,' 'Handmaid's Tale,' 'GLOW' Grab Multiple Mentions" . Variety . Retrieved December 7, 2017 .
External links
Written and directed Written only