Larry Birkhead, the father of Anna Nicole Smith's 19-year-old daughter Dannielynn, has strongly objected to an upcoming biopic titled "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor." The film is based on the 2017 memoir by Sandeep Kapoor, Smith's former pain medication doctor, who was implicated but acquitted in a wrongful death trial following Smith's overdose in 2007.
Birkhead stated that he and Dannielynn "absolutely object" to the movie, expressing that he had been assured by Dr. Kapoor that his public appearances were over. He further revealed that he has filed a complaint with the California Medical Board regarding Kapoor's participation in the film.
"We’re not involved in this production, and we absolutely object to any of Anna Nicole’s, my life, my daughter’s life being used in a movie and being made characters out of by someone that was a doctor that supposedly - that people were supposed to trust," Birkhead said in an interview. He warned of the potential "harm and the emotional distress" the film could cause, particularly to Dannielynn.
Smith, who rose to fame in the 1990s, married billionaire J. Howard Marshall in 1994. Her public life was marked by her relationship with Marshall, her role as a tabloid figure, and her struggles with addiction. She died in 2007 at the age of 39 from an accidental overdose, leaving behind her infant daughter Dannielynn. Her son Daniel had died of an overdose the previous year.
Kapoor, along with Smith's boyfriend Howard K. Stern and psychiatrist Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, faced charges related to Smith's death. While Stern and Eroshevich were convicted, Kapoor was acquitted of all counts.
The film, directed by Thane Economou, stars Abbie Cornish as Anna Nicole Smith and Kal Penn as Dr. Kapoor. Linda Hamilton is also slated to play Kapoor's lawyer, Ellyn Garofalo. "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor" is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 17.
Birkhead, a photographer, first met Smith in 2003. Their relationship lasted for two and a half years, ending shortly before Dannielynn's birth when Smith moved to the Bahamas. Smith's will left her entire estate to Dannielynn, and a paternity test later confirmed Birkhead as Dannielynn's father, contrary to what was initially stated on the birth certificate.