Sigourney Weaver is earning strong Emmy buzz for her lead performance in Lifetime's Prayers for Bobby. In her first TV movie, the three-time Oscar nominee plays a religiously conservative mother who refuses to accept her gay son.

The film, based on a true story, examines Mary Griffith's (Weaver) transformation from intolerant mother to gay-rights crusader after her son Bobby commits suicide. Weaver says she was drawn to Prayers for Bobby because, like the book of the same name, it has the potential to start important conversations about tolerance and acceptance in homes everywhere.

Sigourney Weaver starring in a Lifetime movie? It happened. It's called Prayers for Bobby, and the three-time Oscar nominee is racking up the Emmy buzz for her lead performance as a mother whose life is changed by tragedy.

I spoke with Weaver recently about the film, the Emmy buzz, her next big TV project and more. Here's a preview of that interview:

Weaver on the benefits of working for Lifetime, and other cable networks:

"I think Lifetime, along with other cable networks, show very compelling stories about what it is to be human in a way that a lot of films don't now, except for small independent films. They're interested in a smaller canvas and I think those stories are very helpful for people and I think that they bring us together."

Oscar-nominated actress Sigourney Weaver is coming to the small screen with a Lifetime movie called Prayers for Bobby. The film is based on Leroy Aaron's book Prayers for Bobby: A Mother's Coming to Term with the Suicide of Her Gay Son.

Weaver will star in and co-produce the film, her first made-for-television movie. She stars as Mary Griffith, a religious mother who questions her faith in God after her son's suicide. She eventually comes to terms with his homosexuality and goes on to champion the rights of gay and lesbian youths.