Actress Anne Heche was working on a film about sex trafficking prior to her death.
Before the car accident that ultimately took her life, Heche starred in a movie titled “Girl in Room 13,” in which she played the mother of a sex trafficking victim.
She was also scheduled to appear on a Television Critics Association panel for the movie but was unable to due to being in critical condition at the time, after crashing into a home in Los Angeles on August 5.
Amy Winter, executive VP of The Lifetime Network film and head of programming, made a statement at the conference about Heche’s condition and the future of the film.
“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. 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 said, per IndieWire.
Continuing, she said, “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 with our mission to stop violence against women.”
The film’s director, Elisabeth Rohm, also made a statement at the conference, saying, “We’re all so dedicated to the cause, stopping violence against women and I again thank Lifetime’s so much for creating this platform. All of us, especially Larissa [Dias] 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.”
Heche was declared brain-dead on Friday and was taken off of life support on Sunday, according to Fox News. She was 53 years old.
The Lifetime Network film is still planned to be released in September 2022.