Elton John wants ‘Normal Heart’ to provoke more AIDS action

Elton John has said he hopes HBO’s adaptation of The Normal Heart will provoke greater action to combat the global AIDS crisis.

Based on Larry Kramer’s 1985 play of the same name, The Normal Heart is set in New York City in the early 1980s at the onset of the HIV-AIDS epidemic. The HBO film – which stars Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer and Julia Roberts – aired last night (May 25) in the US to mostly glowing reviews.

In an article written for CNN, John argues that, nearly 30 years later, the fight against AIDS is far from over, saying:

“While The Normal Heart is a product of a specific time, it is not an artifact. There is still an AIDS crisis — not only in sub-Saharan Africa, but right here in America, in your state, in your community. And, just as in 1985, it is silence, fear and stigma that continue to drive the epidemic.”

The singer/campaigner also expresses his hope that HBO’s adaptation of The Normal Heart will lead to a new generation of AIDS activism, especially now that we are less ignorant about the disease. He adds:

“I hope HBO’s production of The Normal Heart will compel a new generation to act up. There is so much work still to be done, but there’s also so much potential. The characters in The Normal Heart, living as they did in the 1980s, didn’t understand what they or their friends were dying of, and they didn’t have treatments to manage the disease. They hardly knew how to protect themselves.”

The Normal Heart

will air in the UK at a date to confirmed. In the meantime, watch the trailer here.