Debbie Smith, the Virginia woman whose story inspired "A Life Interrupted," was dragged from her Williamsburg home by a stranger, then sexually assaulted in the nearby woods while her police officer husband slept inside the house. Six years later, her assailant, already in jail for other crimes, was identified in a chance DNA analysis.
When Smith learned that nearly half a million rape kits potential evidence that could put rapists behind bars went unprocessed because of a lack of funding, she began working with lawmakers for legislation to expand DNA testing.
The bill, known as "The Debbie Smith Act," became part of broader legislation on DNA technology and was signed into law by President Bush in October 2004.
Thompson, who said she experienced a week of bad dreams after filming the rape scene, said she wanted to capture Smith's "quiet power" as an advocate for other rape victims.
"The beauty of the story is that the only way Debbie could overcome her pain was to help other people," Thompson said.
"Debbie overcame her shyness, exposing herself to the media and trying to help other people heal."
Smith said she's seen the movie four times. "I cry every time I see it, but I really feel like this is going to open up the doors for people to talk about this crime," she said.
Smith acknowledges that the graphic nature of the movie's attack scene is difficult to watch, "but we made Lifetime promise that they would not sugarcoat this," she said. "It was important that if we were going to allow intrusion into our life, then we wanted the story to get across the devastation."
The film, part of Lifetime's "End Violence Against Women" campaign, airs during National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
Smith and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.
, author of the original legislation, appear in a public service announcement after the movie.
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