‘Imitation of Life’ refresher

Regarding “He’s Having a ‘Monster’ of a Breakout,” [Jan. 22]: In his interview with Tre’vell Anderson, rising young film star Kelvin Harrison Jr. cites “Imitation of Life” (1959) as having a profound effect on him.

Yet nowhere in the profile do we learn about the film. For readers unfamiliar with it, the 1959 version underscores the tragic price an individual pays for denying or disconnecting from his or her racial identity — in this case an aspiring, mixedrace performer trying to pass as white.

Given Harrison’s mission to channel his activism as a black actor by telling “stories that matter to me,” these details about the film that set him on his path seem worth mentioning. John M. Wilson West Hollywood