Cher is set to star in a TV movie about the water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Cher is passionate about raising awareness about the crisis and has been standing up for the residents of the city, who have been unable to use running water since 2014, when officials decided to draw water from the Flint River, which has tested positive for lead poisoning.
According to Deadline, she heard a Lifetime movie about the crisis was in the works and reached out to the producers expressing an interest in being involved with the project.
Cher will play the key role of a Flint resident whose family is seriously impacted by the water crisis in the drama, which will examine the events which led to the poisoning, how it has been managed and how residents have been affected.
Cher will also serve as producer along with Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, and broadcaster Katie Couric. The script was written by Barbara Stepansky and Bruce Beresford, who directed Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies, and Double Jeopardy, will reportedly helm the project. The movie is expected to begin production in the spring although it has yet to formally be given the greenlight.
The 70-year-old, who won an Oscar for 1987 movie Moonstruck and a Golden Globe for 1983’s Silkwood, last played a character onscreen in 2010 musical Burlesque.
The singer has been vocal about the crisis and even sent more than 180,000 bottles of water to the area in January, 2016. She also told Billboard that she wanted to give the bottles to the people but couldn’t due to red tape.
“It was so fucking hard to get accomplished,” she said, adding she felt like she “needed to do something”.
“I mean, people have known that the river was polluted forever: Why would they go to that as the water source? It’s mind-boggling,” she continued, before implying Michigan Governor Rick Snyder should be imprisoned for his actions.
