Entertainment | 01/26/2009 9:35 am

Sigourney Weaver Talks About Her Tough Role in 'Prayers for Bobby' (Video)

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Sigourney Weaver has had many roles during her illustrious career. But her most recent one, in "Prayers for Bobby," is getting so much acclaim that it already has Emmy buzz.

"Prayers for Bobby," which aired Saturday night at 9 PM ET/PT on Lifetime, is about Mary Griffin (Weaver), a devout Christian living in the Northern California area during the 1970s, who thought her gay son could be "cured" of his "sin," and encouraged her son to turn toward religion for salvation. As happens all too often, the family’s church and its vocal disapproval of homosexuality didn’t help matters and the religious intolerance of his church and mother is too much for Bobby to bear. He later commits suicide at the age of 20. But Griffith eventually becomes a gay-rights crusader. The drama is based on the book with the same title by Leroy Aarons.

Weaver, who turns an amazing 60 this year, was on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" Friday morning, and talked about how she personally met with Griffith and her family to help her with her role.

"Mary was incredibly forthright and candid about her state of mind during this whole time with Bobby," Weaver explained. "I felt a very deep connection to Mary just as a mother myself," although Weaver grew up in the more diverse and tolerant New York City. She noted that Griffith went to the library to research what her son was going through at the time, and books she found there actually told her homosexuality was a disease that had to be cured.

The movie is "very much about Mary and the decision she made and the decision she made, and she ends up working with gay-rights groups to make up for the mistakes that she made," she added. Weaver said Griffith’s fear was a "prime motivator" for her actions – her fear for her son. "She felt because he was waivering so much, she had to be very firm."

"I know that as parents we try so hard to protect our children from making unsafe choices … not only was she worried about his life, she was even more worried about his soul," Weaver said.

We encourage everyone to tune into Lifetime tomorrow, Tuesday at 9 PM ET, when "Prayers for Bobby" airs again. You won’t regret it.

Watch video of the trailer below.

11 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

She is Ripley—‘nuf said. Great actress.

By f p on 01/26/2009 9:42 am

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What a terrific movie. I watched it twice. She gave a great performance. It is sad to know this is not “rare”…it breaks my heart to think about how many young people are still struggling with attitudes like the one portrayed in the movie, just longing to be accepted and loved without judgement. As long as my sons are happy and healthy, I am happy…their choice of partner/lifestyle is their business. I can’t imagine trying to tell them who they can or cannot love, or rejecting them for the choice they make.

By J B on 01/26/2009 10:20 am

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One of my daughter’s friends who just finished college last year, recently told her parents she is gay and they told her she was just doing it for attention and told her to leave and not contact them again. This is still going on. As a parent I am appalled.

By DeBúrca obj on 01/26/2009 8:21 pm

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these parents are simply Not-Educated to ‘sex-in-the-kingdom-of-Life’ Facts—-in humans +/- 10% will be gay, queer, whatever—-and looking at the recent very virgin shark being pregnant—-enough to ponder. only recently i found the only sane reason to be in ‘the swamp’ was catching Big Snook—-i found a twist, online—-these are Big Fish, meter+, yet routinely change all sex-organs in only 4 days—-and no dr. bill—-and people go bonkers at such? if fish? nope—-their child, usually—- perhaps someone may explain how it’s possible for any ‘soul’, they would say, to be subject to ‘accidental landing’—-the very ‘senses’, view, of one in that situation (hey! i bought a ticket to be a male stud, lover of women—-And i ‘land’ as Woman lover of women?)—-well only you ‘have that view’. maybe they’ll see—-if not, live on—-send ‘em a card—-be firm—-ask them—-would they prefer you born as a two-headed snake? ie: kick-ass on educating—-useless? then they become ‘toxic-personalities’—-best run a mile—-if you may afford it, run a few more miles—-to Santa Cruz, Cal.—-large ‘gay-support’ area—-and ‘mental-health’, dealing freely w/those rejected by parents. certainly as a young one driven from home, via parental belief, you would be swiftly aided—-housing, food—-any medical needs, etc. All you must do is ‘show-up’, not a cent-in-pocket—-even that is ‘do-able’—-damn shame, so often deals just come down to You, or i—-anyone—-and You are in control—-my life’s shown me—-‘follow that ‘gut-feel’, or lose—-no ‘gut-feel’—-no matter, follow Your interest.

By gulliver fourmyle on 01/26/2009 11:24 pm

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I’m with you, as a parent, I am appalled….listen, I’m not crazy about my oldest son’s wife…but he lives with her, I don’t, and she makes him happy. None of my business. Though I wasn’t doing back flips when he said they were getting married, would I have even entertained the thought of turning my back on him? Dear God, NO! My heart breaks for this young girl…I hope her parents will open their eyes, minds, and hearts before too much time has passed…children are a precious gift.

By J B on 01/27/2009 7:40 am

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I hope her parents come around too, sooner better than later. On the flip side one of my daughter’s other gay friends who she’s known since high school (my daughter is in theater so has LOTS of gay friends!) told his parents recently that he is gay. They hugged him and told him they love him. The mother cried because she felt bad that he didn’t feel he could tell them sooner. He’s a sophomore theater major at NYU now. His parents would be considered quite conservative. He has two older brothers, both jocks, both are being very supportive. So you never know.

By DeBúrca obj on 01/27/2009 8:48 am

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What saddens me is that people can watch a movie like this, and still believe that same sex couples shouldn’t have the right to get married.

By R.J.B. Reed on 01/26/2009 11:08 am

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What saddens me is that people can watch a movie like this and still believe that homosexuality is a choice or a sin or a disease, that gay people are lesser than and therefore are not afforded the same rights and benefits as heterosexual people. That same sex couples are not afforded equality and are denied marriage and parenthood, and that people of varying religious sects use God as a tool for discrimination and in some cases hate against those that are homosexual.

By Catherine Kaiman on 01/26/2009 4:48 pm

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wow…just the trailer was so sad i don’t think i could watch the movie. to heartbreaking.

By Chrome Toe on 01/27/2009 8:00 am

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I too, watched the movie, “Prayers for Bobby” and, had all too many tears flowing afterward. Unfortunately, I have experienced too many “Bobby’s” in my lifetime, and each time I feel the pain as though it were the first experience. There is no real way to express to others the kind of deep, deep dispair people feel when they are so unloved by others. Unloved, not for who they are, or whether they live a good, loving life themselves. They are unloved simply by being different than so many others in their lives. As long as our society continues to misunderstand the full effects of homosexuality, and that it is not a life experience most of us would ever choose for ourselves. As long as our society judges others who wish to only live a good life, and who want to be left alone for the most part to live it to their fullest, we will continue to have the dead, discarded Bobby’s. Why in the world does it matter to you, or anyone, who may disapprove, what their cultural differences are? Some use the bible as a reason to judge, others simply follow the opinions of others, some even make up their own rules to show disdain or disapproval. Why? The same old arguments are so antiquated, and stupid. It only creates a continuum of stupid and prejudice. Live and let live! Simple. Just do it.

By Ro H on 02/01/2009 12:03 am

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I read Prayers for Bobby by Leroy Aarons (http://www.leroyaarons.com/) when it first came out in 1996, then I re-read it when I heard that the Lifetime movie was about to air. It’s just as powerful and relevant now as when it was first published. I’m so happy that Lifetime made Prayers for Bobby into a movie that introduced a new generation of teens and parents to this moving story. To really understand the power of the story, though, read the book. Leroy Aarons captured the voices and stories of both Bobby and his mother Mary in ways that speak to us today, and the book has more character development and truth than a two-hour movie can capture. I blogged about this book and movie myself at http://betterthanieverexpected.blogspot.com/2009/01/prayers-for-bobby-on… . Readers posted comments with their personal stories, including tales of contemplating suicide or having a friend who went through with it, like Bobby. It’s time to help each other stop this. Thank you, Lifetime, for bringing this story to our attention.

By Joan Price on 02/05/2009 3:58 pm