'Girl in Room 13': Anne Heche's Lifetime movie still on track to release in September following car crash
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The entire entertainment industry was stunned when they heard about Anne Heche’s tragic car accident that took place in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles. The actress’ Mini Cooper smashed into a two-story, causing severe damage and a fire that took more than an hour to extinguish. Since then, it has been revealed has suffered a significant pulmonary injury and remains in extremely critical condition. However, her condition is not stopping Lifetime to delay the project that Heche is a part of and has confirmed that the movie is scheduled to release as per the original plan.
Lifetime executives and the director of the movie Elisabeth Rohm recently made an appearance at Television Critics Association (TCA) panel on Thursday, August 11, and discussed the movie, ‘Girl in Room 13’, including if the upcoming crime thriller will be released as per the schedule or not following Heche’s unfortunate car accident. While speaking to reporters, director Elisabeth Rohm confirmed that the movie has been completed and will be airing in September.
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During the TCA panel (via Indiewire), Rohm also revealed that she and all the top executives at Lifetime had lengthy discussions about the film’s future and called Heche’s performance in the film “phenomenal”.
Rohm said, “We’re all so dedicated to the cause, stopping violence against women and I again thank Lifetime so much for creating this platform. 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.”
Heche was also slated to appear on the panel for 'Girl in Room 13', but couldn't due to the accident.
According to Lifetime, ‘Girl in Room 13’ is inspired by actual events and talks about human trafficking. The movie chronicles the journey of a young woman named Grace (Larissa Dias), who got addicted to opioids after her doctor prescribed them for a sports injury at a very young age. After suffering a lot, she is now ready to turn her life around under the eye of her mother, Janie (Anne Heche). However, things get worse when someone from Grace’s tragic past returns and coerces her to meet her former boyfriend and drug dealer, Richie. Held captive in a hotel room, Riche starts forcing her to consume drugs and alcohol so that she can be sold into human trafficking. Even though everyone has lost hope of having Grace back, her mother Janie embarks on a journey to bring her back to the life she deserves and discovers shocking things about the dark world of human trafficking.
The movie is a part of Lifetime’s ‘Ripped from the Headlines’ series and also stars Max Montesi (Richie) in a pivotal role. This is Heche’s fourth movie with Lifetime and was previously seen in projects such as ‘Gracie’s Choice’ (2004), ‘Fatal Desire’ (2006), and ‘Girl Fight’ (2011).
As far as Heche’s condition is concerned, on Monday, August 8, her representative revealed that the actress continues to be in an extremely critical condition and is in a coma. The rep added, “She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention. She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident.”
On the other hand, a spokesperson from Los Angeles Police Department noted that the authorities are investigating the actress for “driving under the influence of drugs” and took a sample of Heche’s blood. Although the police were able to identify narcotics in the actress’ systems, they believe the results of the toxicology tests will turn out to be really substantial in this matter.
