'Scandal' Star Explores Judicial System in 'The Divide' (TRAILER VIDEO)
"Scandal" star Tony Goldwyn has taken on a new project in order to raise awareness of a serious problem in the United States. His eight-episode series "The Divide" focuses on wrongful imprisonment and is meant to bring attention to the overwhelming problem in the country.
"In the past, I had assumed that if someone's in prison, they probably did it," Goldwyn told the Associated Press. "I didn't realize how much gray area there is in our justice system, and how many cracks catch people without money and influence."
Goldwyn teamed up with producer Richard LaGravenese, writer of the award-winning "Behind the Candelabra," to work on "The Divide." The show tells the story of a young caseworker for the Innocence Initiative (loosely based on the Innocence Project) who works to win an appeal for a white inmate facing execution for the murder of a black family.
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"On the show, we try to come to terms with the ambiguity of human nature," LaGravenese said. "In the Writers Room, I said, 'Let's get rid of words like 'good' and 'bad.'" That's not what our show is about."
The two already worked together on a similar project entitled "Conviction," which featured Hilary Swank. That project was based on an actual case taken on by the Innocence Project.
"I wanted to explore the Innocence Project further. I thought a TV series would be a great way," Goldwyn explained.
The Innocence Project is a non-profit organization that works to free those who have been wrongly incarcerated. Their clients have served time as a result of judicial error, misconduct such as a coerced confession, or other mistakes.
"The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice," the organization says on its website.
To date, it has helped exonerate 317 former prisoners.
"The Divide" will air on WE tv and premieres on Wednesday, July 16.
Watch a preview of the mini-series here:
