Sherri Shepherd Says It Was ‘An Honor’ to Play 9/11 Survivor Who Spent 27 Hours Trapped in WTC Rubble in New Lifetime Movie
Sherri Shepherd’s new movie is an inspirational story about a woman who survived the September 11 terrorist attacks, seemingly against all odds.
Genelle Guzman’s incredible story of 9/11 survival told in new Lifetime movie
Angel In the Rubble, which premieres September 12 on Lifetime, tells the unbelievable true story of Genelle Guzman (Shepherd).
Guzman is a New York City transit worker who was trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center after its Tower One collapsed on 9/11. She was rescued after 27 hours, becoming the last Ground Zero survivor pulled from the rubble. It was a miracle that Guzmen credited to divine intervention.
“As we recognize the 25th anniversary of the devastating 9/11 attacks, I can’t wait for everyone to see this movie,” Shepherd shared on Instagram. She added that it was “truly an honor” to bring Guzman’s story of “unshakeable faith” to life.
September 11 survivor calls her rescue ‘miraculous’
September 11, 2001, began like any other Tuesday for Guzman and millions of other New Yorkers. She reported to her job on the 64th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower, where she worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She was in the building when it was struck by a hijacked American Airlines Flight 11. Guzman attempted to evacuate. However, she had only made it to the 13th floor when the building collapsed around her.
Guzman spent 27 harrowing hours in the debris before she was freed. As she fought to stay alive, she “reflected on her life and the faith she had left behind, praying for deliverance and promising to change if given another chance,” according to Lifetime’s description of the movie, which is co-produced by Robin Roberts and Shepherd, along with Linda Berman and Anne Carlucci.
Guzman’s desperate prayers were answered when a man named Paul found her. The stranger stayed by her side until rescuers were able to free her. But when Guzman later tried to find Paul to thank him, he’d vanished. Strangely, no one was able to confirm that he was really there. Guzman ultimately concluded that God had sent an angel to protect her as she fought to survive.
“Miraculous thing happened. My right hand being there, someone grabbed me by my hands and they called me by my name and they told me his name. He said, ‘Genelle I got you. My name is Paul,'” she said last year (via Fox 29). “I don’t know if it’s a firefighter or if it’s an angel person, but I’ve been looking for that person Paul, who was holding my hand for the past 24 years.”
Angel In The Rubble: The Genelle Guzman Story airs Saturday, September 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
For more news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.
