“During the fall of 1982, Judge Thomas began to use work situations to discuss sex,” states Anita Hill (Kerry Washington) in a newly released trailer for HBO’s upcoming “Confirmation,” set during Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court nomination hearings.
“I could not keep silent,” says Hill, a law professor and attorney. Her refusal to keep silent changed U.S. history.
The brave and brilliant Hill, who suffered indignities from politicians and the public while crusading against workplace sexual harassment on the Senate floor, is most certainly overdue for the biopic treatment. (A 2013 documentary about the hearings, titled “Anita,” was made by Oscar-winning director Freida Lee Mock.)
A spot for the feature sees the “Scandal” star at the center of a media storm. Revisit the trial of the ’80s, alternately described here as “political theater,” a “street fight,” a “circus” and a “high-tech lynching” — and at its center a woman who knew she had to do the right thing, no matter the cost.
Written by Susannah Grant, “Confirmation” premieres on HBO on April 16.
