Confirmation, premiering same time as the US this April on HBO and HBO GO, stars Kerry Washington, Wendell Pierce, Greg Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Eric Stonestreet, and Jennifer Hudson.
Written by Susannah Grant and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, the film details the explosive 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, which brought the country to a standstill and forever changed the way we think about sexual harassment, victims’ rights and modern-day race relations.
Confirmation is executive produced by Michael London, Janice Williams, Kerry Washington and Susannah Grant. Darren Demetre is the producer. The HBO Films presentation of a Groundswell Production in association with ABC Signature Studios debuts in April, exclusively on HBO.
Confirmation looks behind the curtain of Washington politics, depicting a pivotal moment in American culture that became a turning point in workplace equality and gender politics.
Kerry Washington portrays law professor Anita Hill, who accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, with Wendell Pierce as Judge Thomas and Greg Kinnear as Democratic Senator Joe Biden, who presided over the hearings as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Jeffrey Wright plays Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree, Professor Hill’s lead attorney during the hearings, and Eric Stonestreet portrays Ken Duberstein, a Washington lobbyist hired by President George H. W. Bush to promote Judge Thomas’ confirmation. Jennifer Hudson portrays Angela Wright, another Thomas accuser, who was subpoenaed but was never called to testify before the Judiciary Committee.
Dylan Baker plays Republican Senator Orrin Hatch. Erika Christensen plays Shirley Wiegand, Hill’s close friend. Kimberly Elise plays Sonia Jarvis, a civil rights attorney on Anita Hill’s legal team. Malcolm Gets plays Republican Senator Arlen Specter. Grace Gummer plays Ricki Seidman, aide to Senator Edward Kennedy. Zoe Lister-Jones portrays Carolyn Hart, an aide to Senator Biden. Peter McRobbie portrays Republican Senator Alan Simpson. Treat Williams plays Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy. Alison Wright portrays Ginni Thomas, Thomas’ wife.
The behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Rachel Morrison; editor Dirk Westervelt; production designer Stephen Altman; composer Harry Gregson-Williams; costume designer Hope Hanafin; and casting directors Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee.
