The Movie
HBO’s film adaptation of Rebecca Skloot’s book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, starring Oprah Winfrey as Deborah Lacks, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Henrietta Lacks, and Rose Byrne as Rebecca Skloot premiered on HBO in 2017. It is available to watch on HBO or via online streaming on HBO Now, where anyone can watch it for free by signing up for a free 30 day trial. The film is also available for rent or purchase on iTunes, Amazon, and elsewhere.
See below for videos and interviews featuring The Lacks Family, Rebecca, Oprah, Rose Byrne and more of the cast and crew discussing the film adaptation of The Immortal Life, their experiences working on the film, and more, including information on the special limited collector’s movie tie in edition of the book. You can also follow news and behind-the-scenes photos of the making of the film; Rebecca, the Lacks family and the film’s cast and crew at the premiere; and more on Rebecca’s Instagram feed and on her Facebook page and Twitter account.
HBO Behind The Scenes: The Lacks Family, Oprah Winfrey, Rebecca Skloot and director George C. Wolfe Discuss The Film
The Lacks Family, Oprah, and Rebecca Skloot Discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and the Lacks Family’s Legacy, on NBC Nightly News
The Question of the White Savior: Oprah Winfrey, George C. Wolfe, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Reg Cathey, Courtney Vance and Rose Byrne on Facebook Live
Oprah, Rose Byrne and Rebecca Skloot Discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks With Dr. Oz (excerpts)
Rebecca Skloot and Rose Byrne Discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks with Katie Couric
Oprah, Rose Byrne and Renee Elise Goldsberry Discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on CBS This Morning
The Lacks Family, Rebecca Skloot, Rose Byrne, and Renee Elise Goldsberry Live 92nd St. Y Discussion
See Jeri and Shirley Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, Rose Byrne and Renee Elise Goldsberry discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the film, the book, the woman, and her family’s legacy.
HBO Behind The Scenes: Conversations with the Cast (HBO)
Oprah, The Lacks Family, and Rebecca Skloot On Set and Behind The Scenes Filming The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Selected Print and Radio Press
- New York Times Magazine, “Rebecca Skloot Feels Indebted to Henrietta Lacks“, April 19, 2017
- O: The Oprah Magazine,”A conversation with Rebecca Skloot and Jeri Lacks, Henrietta Lacks’s granddaughter, about her stirring story’s leap from page to screen,” April 16, 2017.
- CNN, “Henrietta Lacks: Her cells, her legacy“, on the continuing impact Henrietta’s family is having on the world through their public speaking, activism, and work sharing the legacies of Henrietta and Deborah Lacks. April 21, 2017
- O: The Oprah Magazine, “Behind the Scenes of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks“, April 16, 2017
- “How The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Avoids the White Savior Trap” Bustle
- “Nothing Can Prepare You For How Powerful The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Is” The Root, April 21, 2017
- Nerdette, “Rebecca Skloot On Oprah, Henrietta Lacks, And Storytelling In Science“, May 5, 2017
- ELLE, “The author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks sits down for a chat with the actress who’s playing her“, April 21, 2017
- Refinery29, “Why The Story Of Henrietta Lacks Is Still Relevant“, April 18, 2017
- Live Science, “‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’: Q&A with Author Rebecca Skloot“, April 21, 2017
- Newsweek, “Oprah Winfrey on her hardest role yet: the tormented daughter in ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’“, April 14, 2017
- Vanity Fair, “How the Strange Saga of Henrietta Lacks Became an Oprah-Approved Film“, April 21, 2017
- Vulture, “Oprah Winfrey Is Phenomenal in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks“, April 21, 2017
- TIME, “Review: Oprah Goes Deep in Henrietta Lacks“, April 21, 2017
- Little Gold Men Podcast, Vanity Fair, “What It’s Like to Have Someone Play You on TV” (conversation with Rose and Rebecca starts at time stamp 19:58) April 21, 2017
- The Washington Post, “In ‘Henrietta Lacks,’ Oprah Winfrey reveals one woman’s remarkable legacy’“, April 14, 2017
- Observer, “HBO Celebrates ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ With Touring Pop-Up Art Show“, April 13, 2017
- The New York Times, “Oprah Winfrey on the ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’“, April 12, 2017
- People.com, “The Incredible True Story of Henrietta Lacks — the Most Important Woman in Modern Medicine“, April 12, 2017
- “How ‘The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks’ Made Me Love Nonfiction,” Bustle
Official Movie Tie-In Edition
Available for a Limited Time
Photos
Rebecca has been sharing many exciting photos related to the film version of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on her Facebook page. See below for a sampling of those photos and follower her on Facebook and Instagram for more.
The Henrietta Lacks Foundation
The Henrietta Lacks Foundation strives to provide financial assistance to needy individuals who have made important contributions to scientific research without their knowledge or consent.