
Overview
Coleman Silk is a worldly and admired professor who loses his job after unwittingly making a racial slur. To clear his name, Silk writes a book about the events with his friend and colleague Nathan Zuckerman, who in the process discovers a dark secret Silk has hidden his whole life. All the while, Silk engages in an affair with Faunia Farley, a younger woman whose tormented past threatens to unravel the layers of deception Silk has constructed.
Trailer
Crew
DirectorRobert Benton
WriterNicholas Meyer
Cast

Anthony Hopkins
Coleman Silk

Nicole Kidman
Faunia Farley

Ed Harris
Lester Farley

Gary Sinise
Nathan Zuckerman

Wentworth Miller
Young Coleman Silk

Jacinda Barrett
Steena Paulsson

Harry Lennix
Mr. Silk

Clark Gregg
Nelson Primus

Anna Deavere Smith
Mrs. Silk

Lizan Mitchell
Ernestine

Kerry Washington
Ellie

Phyllis Newman
Iris Silk

Margo Martindale
Psychologist

Ron Canada
Herb Keble

Mili Avital
Young Iris

Danny Blanco Hall
Walter

Marie Michel
Young Ernestine

Anne Dudek
Lisa Silk

Mimi Kuzyk
Professor Delphine Roux

John Finn
Louie Borero
More like this
Keywords
literature professorpassing for white
Details
Budget
$30M
Revenue
$25M
TMDb Votes
508
Added May 14, 2026Updated Jun 4, 2026










