Anne Heche’s “Girl in Room 13” is still set for a September debut on the Lifetime network, the movie’s creatives and Amy Winter, executive vice president and head of programming at Lifetime, confirmed during the network’s virtual panel at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.
Heche was involved in a fiery car crash last week and is currently in a coma and “extremely critical” condition with severe burns. The actress was slated to appear on the TCA panel for the movie, with Lifetime issuing a statement that remarks were taped before the accident.
“As many of you know, Anne remains in critical condition. And all of us here at Lifetime are deeply concerned for her and everyone affected,” Winter said. “We hope that her friends and family stay strong during this difficult time. You know just as much as we do and we ask that you kindly refrain from inquiring about her health status.”
She continued, “This project is important to…each and every one of us. We all started to make a film that would bring attention to the appalling issue of human sex trafficking. We hope that this film moves you and that you are just as inspired as Anne was to help us with our mission to stop violence against women.”
Filmmaker Elisabeth Rohm, as well as actors Larissa Dias and Caren Benjamin were on the virtual panel.
“We’re all so dedicated to the cause, stopping violence against women, and I again thank Lifetime so much for creating this platform,” Rohm said. “All of us, especially Larissa who played this victim, are committed to that cause. We talked about it — every single one of us — that this was our mission. And although [Anne] is deeply missed, right now, I will say the film is finished and she did a phenomenal performance, a tour de force, much like Larissa.”
On July 29, Heche crashed her car into a home in the west Los Angeles neighborhood of Mar Vista at such a speed that she nearly blew through to the back of the house. The impact set the structure ablaze and pinned Heche inside for several minutes before the Mini Cooper was pulled out with an LAFD crane.
Lifetime’s “Ripped from the Headlines” film, starring the Emmy winner, is inspired by real-life events and explores the dark underworld of the $150 billion human trafficking industry. Heche stars as Janie, mother to Grace (Dias), who is abducted.
