Photo: Courtesy Amazon Studios
Sterling K. Brownis embarking on a passion project. And, much like his NBC hitThis Is Us, it shines light on difficult topics.
The two-time Emmy-winning actor partnered withBristol-Myers Squibbfor a series calledSurvivorship Today: What It’s Like to Live with Cancer, streaming now atsurvivorshiptoday.com. In each episode, Brown interviews a cancer survivor about life after his or her diagnosis, exploring the physical, emotional and social effects.
Brown, 43, says his uncle died of cancer in 2004 — just six months after being diagnosed — and that it had a “devastating effect on our whole family.” TheBlack Pantheractor wants cancer survivors watching his new series to know they’re not alone.
“The fact that we’re talking about people living longer is a testimony in and of itself to the research that’s been made in cancer,” Brown tells PEOPLE. “It’s great that they’re living longer, yes. But people who haven’t gone through cancer think you should be nothing but happy.”
That’s not always the case. Brown says the people he’s had the opportunity to speak with through the series are grateful to be alive, but they’re not the same (physically or emotionally) as before their diagnoses.
Oncologist Dr. Morganna Freeman expanded on the issue in aSurvivorship Todayvideo clip: “We’re learning that there are a lot of different impacts [cancer] can have on their life and their body function, as well as their social and mental well-being, including how a patient sees themselves, what they can expect for a continued remission and will they be told one day that the cancer has come back.”
For Brown, it’s all about providing support and a safe space for cancer survivors because “there’s strength in community” — a concept he says is comparable toThis Is Us,which has received critical acclaim for exploring sensitive and emotional plot lines about race, sexuality and death.
In 2017, the actor spoke withEntertainment Weeklyabout the hit drama, saying he’s “always really, really proud of an opportunity to tell people that they’re not alone.”
source: people.com
