Last month, it was announced that Queen Latifah took on a role in a new Lifetime original movie inspired by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

Many responded to the news with concern, with many pointing out that the movie could be exploitive or is a bit premature considering that the Flint water crisis has not yet been resolved and there are still thousands and thousands of people left without clean water.

During a new interview, Queen Latifah defended herslef, explaining why she accepted the role in the first place, as well as shared her opinion regarding the situation at large.

During the interview, the legendary actress states that she hopes the movie will help bring more attention and raise awareness of the situation at hand.

While referring to the Flint water crisis as one of the great American tragedies of the century, Latifah also shared that she feels as though someone needs to be put in jail for ignoring the problem for so long, including officials such as Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.

"There were a bunch of people who knew about it and then didn’t do anything," Latifah said, while on set filming a scene in Toronto.

She also explained the inspiration behind the role, sharing that her character was one of the many women who sought justice for residents who were unknowingly drinking contaminated water. 

"Although [my character] is a composite, it took a lot of people to make a lot of noise to get the word to the right people," Latifah explained. "This was a team effort to even bring this to light the way it should have been, and then to counter a bunch of people in positions of power who said there was no problem."

As reported, lead contamination has been linked to issues, such as learning disabilities and developmental problems, particularly in children, with Latifah's character witnessing and experiencing the horrific aftermath firsthand.

The film is scheduled to air sometime this fall on Lifetime.