Following Lifetime’s 2011 critically-acclaimed original movie Five, the women’s network has called on Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning actresses Jennifer Hudson and Octavia Spencer for their latest film Call Me Crazy: A Five Film.
The celebrity-heavy project will tell the interwoven stories of five women who support and build powerful relationships while dealing with a loved one who struggles with mental illness. Each of the five short stories are named after the title character– Lucy, Grace, Allison, Eddie and Maggie.
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Lucy follows a law student who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and fights through with the help of her new friend, medication and her psychotherapist (Spencer). Grace will center on a teenage daughter whose mother battles with bipolar disorder. Allison will bring in a few laughs with a short about “Lucy” returning home from inpatient treatment and spoiling her sister’s plan to introduce her new boyfriend to their parents. Eddie will tell the story of a wife dealing with the depression of her comedic husband. Finally, Maggie will go inside the world of a female veteran (Hudson) who returns home from war to her son and father with PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder).
“When we started researching this topic, we were all surprised to learn that one in four adults lives with some sort of mental illness,” said actress and the film’s executive producer Jennifer Aniston. “With so many people dealing with this in their private lives, there is still so much stigma and shame. It’s time we bring it out of the closet and into the light of day.”
Along with Aniston, Marta Kauffman, Kristin Hahn, Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri will serve as executive producers. The special project will be directed by Laura Dern, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bonnie Hunt, Ashley Judd and Sharon Maguire.
Melissa Leo, Brittany Snow, Sarah Hyland, Sofia Vassilieva, Ernie Hudson, Jason Ritter, Jean Smart, Lea Thompson, Melanie Griffith and Chelsea Handler will also star in the film.
Call Me Crazy will premiere Saturday, April 20, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
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