People Like Us: Inside Philadelphia

It was the cover of LIFE magazine: “Now no one is safe from AIDS.” Superstar Rock Hudson is already dead and everyone in Hollywood has lost someone to the dreaded disease. Filmmaker Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Ron Nyswaner want to make a difference the only way they know how: By making a movie. But a movie about a gay corporate lawyer who develops AIDS and is fired because of it? Who will pay to see this? What studio would dare make it? And will any star want to be in it? The pieces come together as Demme and Nyswaner lose friends and relatives to AIDS. A studio feels a duty to champion PHILADELPHIA, dozens of people living with AIDS participate in key scenes, and two of the biggest stars in the world - Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington - sign on to play risky roles that could break their careers.

Nearly sixty people living with AIDS were cast in PHILADELPHIA. Today, they’re all gone - all but one. We hear her story and discover what her life is like today. A key actor in PHILADELPHIA has AIDS and may not make it through the film. Will Jonathan Demme have to replace him? Tom Hanks drops 30 pounds to play the role of the dying attorney - and Denzel Washington tempts him with candy bars. The cast and crew of PHILADELPHIA bring Christmas to a an entire family - parents and children - with AIDS. PHILADELPHIA is released, becomes a surprise hit, and leads to an Oscar for Tom Hanks. But much harder than making a hit is making a difference: Hear how PHILADELPHIA made that difference and changed us all.