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. 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.
In July 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated Judge Clarence Thomas to fill Justice Thurgood Marshall's seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. In October, during the final days of Thomas' confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, both Newsday and NPR broke the story that one of Thomas' former employees, law professor Anita Hill, had accused him of sexually harassing her ten years earlier. These revelations triggered a maelstrom of events, with both Hill and Thomas testifying about the allegations before a stunned and riveted television audience.
Kerry Washington portrays law professor Anita Hill, 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, former White House chief of staff under President Reagan. Jennifer Hudson portrays Angela Wright, another Thomas accuser, who was subpoenaed but was never called to testify before the Judiciary Committee.
Bill Irwin plays Republican Senator John Danforth. Zoe Lister-Jones portrays Carolyn Hart, an aide to Senator Biden. Grace Gummer plays Ricki Seidman, an aide to Senator Edward Kennedy. Treat Williams plays Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy. Dylan Baker plays Republican Senator Orrin Hatch. Erika Christensen plays Shirley Wiegand, Hill's close friend. Alison Wright portrays Ginni Thomas, Judge Thomas' wife. Malcolm Gets plays Republican Senator Arlen Specter. Peter McRobbie portrays Republican Senator Alan Simpson. Kimberly Elise plays Sonia Jarvis, a civil rights attorney on Anita Hill's legal team.
CONFIRMATION is executive produced by Michael London , Janice Williams, Kerry Washington, under the banner of her Simpson Street production company, and Susannah Grant. Darren Demetre is the producer. The HBO Films presentation of a Groundswell and Simpson Street Production in association with ABC Signature Studios debuts SATURDAY, APRIL 16 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.
