Anne HechePhoto: Jesse Grant (Getty Images)
Last Friday we reported that actress Anne Heche was involved in a dramatic car accident and suffered severe burns after her car crashed through a Los Angeles apartment building. Heche’s current status (and absence) was to the fore at this afternoon’s Television Critics Association meeting, as Lifetime presented a virtual panel on her upcoming film for the network, Girl In Room 13, which the actress was originally scheduled to attend virtually.
Instead, Lifetime issued a statement before the taped panel about executive Amy Winter, which Variety says says that
As many of you know, Anne is in critical condition. And all of us here at Lifetime are deeply concerned for her and everyone affected. We hope her friends and family stay strong during this difficult time. You know as much as we do and we ask that you refrain from asking about your health. This project is important to Anne, as it is to each of us. We all began making a film to draw attention to the horrifying problem of human trafficking for sex. We hope this film moves you and that you are just as inspired as Anne to help us in our mission to end violence against women.
In Heche’s absence, the panel was performed by Larissa Dias, Caren Benjamin and director Elisabeth Röhm, who spoke about the film, which stars Dias and Heche as women kidnapped by human traffickers and the mother who works tirelessly to rescue them . Röhm: “We are all so committed to the cause of stopping violence against women and once again I thank Lifetime so much for creating this platform. All of us, especially Larissa who played this victim, are committed to this cause. And although [Anne] I miss her deeply, at the moment I have to say that the film is finished and she gave a phenomenal performance – a tour de force, similar to Larissa.
A representative for Heche briefed the press on her condition on Monday, stating: “At this time, Anne is in an extremely critical condition. She has a severe lung injury that requires mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgery. She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident.”