#360 Hereditary Breast Cancer on the Big Screen with “Love, Danielle”
What would you do if you learned your DNA carried a mutation that gave you up to an 85% lifetime risk of breast cancer? That’s the impossible decision at the heart of Love, Danielle, the first scripted feature film to explore the very real struggles of living with a BRCA gene mutation.
In this episode, we are joined by Devin Sidell, the film’s co-writer, producer, and lead actress, who brings her own BRCA1 journey to the screen, and Amy Byer Shainman, the BRCA Responder, a patient advocate and producer of the film. Together, we explore the science of BRCA mutations, the personal impact of hereditary cancer, and how storytelling can transform the way we understand genetics and health.
Devin Sidell
A Los Angeles native, Devin Sidell graduated cum laude from Princeton University and then moved back to L.A. to pursue a career in film and television, appearing as Teen Lois on "Malcolm in the Middle" and recurring as Abigail Stevens on "The O.C." She won an L.A. Weekly Award for her performance in "Land of the Tigers" at Sacred Fools Theatre and was nominated for both LADCC and Ovation Awards for the musical "The Behavior of Broadus," co-produced by Center Theatre Group. Devin has appeared in shows at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as well as on The Broad Stage opposite Josh Gad and Bryce Dallas Howard.
In addition to appearances on "Ray Donovan" opposite Liev Schreiber, the viral singing criminals cold open on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (yes, that cold open!), "NCIS," Lena Waithe's "Twenties," and B.J. Novak's "The Premise," Devin appears in Rob Zombie's horror film "31" (Sundance Film Festival) and recurs as a sketch performer on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" A carrier of the BRCA1 gene mutation with a family history of ovarian and breast cancers, Devin decided in 2017 to undergo both a preventative double mastectomy and a preventative hysterectomy/oophorectomy, earning her the label of "previvor." She is in post production on the dark comedy feature film "Love, Danielle" about her experience. She is a proud member of the Television Academy.
Fun sidenote, before we hit record Devin Sidell was sharing what it was like to film the hilarious and viral “I Want It That Way” scene in Fox’s TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It has gone viral with over 43 million views on YouTube alone. Devin plays the female character identifying the criminal, check it out below!
Amy Byer-Shainman
Amy Byer Shainman, also known as BRCA Responder, is an advocate, author, and producer providing support and education surrounding BRCA and other hereditary cancer syndromes. Her goal is to educate, entertain, and empower others through creative writing and film. Her medical memoir Resurrection Lily has won 14 literary awards and was a 2020 book club selection of the National Library of Medicine. She has also been an Executive Producer for multiple documentaries including The Two Dollar Bill Documentary and Pink & Blue: Colors of Hereditary Cancer. She is a producer on the feature film Love, Danielle.
Topics Covered
How Devin’s personal BRCA1 positive experience inspired Love, Danielle
The role of advocacy and why Amy joined the project as a producer
Breast, ovarian, prostate, and other cancer risks linked to BRCA1/2 mutations
Emotional realities of risk-reducing surgery and family dynamics in hereditary cancer
Fertility, family planning, and their intersection with BRCA decision-making
Misconceptions about BRCA testing and hereditary cancer syndromes
The power of storytelling in changing public understanding of genetics
Community, support networks, and the importance of patient voices
Reflections on the response from the BRCA and previvor community
Resources & Links
Upcoming Film Screenings
Relevant DNA Today Podcast Episodes
#25 Cancer Hereditary Experts Amy Byer-Shainman, Ellen Matloff & Georgia Hurst
#159 Black Cancer Genes on Breast Cancer with Dena Goldberg (Dena DNA) & Erika Stallings
#211 The Genome Defense’s Author Jorge Contreras On The Supreme Court Case for Gene Patents
#309 Netflix’s Sandra Lee on her Breast Cancer and “Blue Ribbon Baking Championship”
#311 Mock Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Genetic Counseling Session
Get ready, genetic nerds—another brand-new episode of DNA Today drops this Friday! You can always count on us to deliver fresh content every Friday.
While you wait, why not dive into our library of over 350 episodes? Binge them all on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or wherever you love to listen—just search “DNA Today.”
Prefer watching? We’ve got you covered! For the past four years, we’ve been recording episodes with video, including some filmed at the iconic NBC Universal Stamford Studios. Check them out on our YouTube channel!
DNA Today is hosted and produced by Kira Dineen, MS, LCGC, CG(ASCP)CM . Our Video Lead is Amanda Andreoli. Our Social Media Lead Liv Davidson. And our logo Graphic Designer is Ashlyn Enokian, MS, CGC.
See what else we are up to on Instagram, X (Twitter), BluSky, Threads, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and our website, DNAToday.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to info@DNAtoday.com.
All rights reserved to Corine Solberg/Getty Images for the image used as the episode tile.
