Bethenny Frankel is ready for her Lifetime moment. When the former reality star was first approached to star in the new ripped-from-the-headlines Lifetime film Danger in the Dorm, she wasn’t sure about it until her publicist and friends convinced her to accept it.
“I’ve been watching Lifetime since I was a child,” Frankel tells The Nerds of Color. “Friends of mine were really freaking [out about it, saying] ‘Oh my God, this is the most exciting thing you’ve ever been offered.’”
In the film, which premieres on Sunday, June 16, Frankel plays Joanne, the mother of college student Kathleen, whose best friend was tragically murdered. Kathleen chooses to remain at the university to catch the killer preying on young girls on campus. Fearing for her daughter’s life, Joanne does whatever it takes to prevent Kathleen from suffering the same fate as Becky.
Frankel, who is also a mother to a young daughter, really connected with the story because it’s rooted in reality. She reveals, “People are so connected to Lifetime stories. [They are] layered because it’s a true story. It’s not fiction. It’s pulled from the headlines. It’s crazy that it’s even real because it doesn’t sound real. It sounds insane that the daughter would stay at the school. It all sounds nuts, but it’s important. It’s a cautionary tale. When you become a parent and, sadly, [have to] teach your child that not everything is safe – and not everywhere is safe. And, one day if she decides to go to college, she’ll be in a college dorm – and, this will be in the back of her mind. There’s a lot of takeaway in it.
Because of how serious and dark the story was, Frankel was exhausted by the end of the shoot. The shooting days were long – and, oftentimes, cold, but she remained professional throughout her time on set. But, she admits, it was really hard.
“I know that in the moments that I landed it – in the takes that really mattered, that it was real because I would be dizzy after,” Frankel explains. “I would feel dizzy after the big emotional scenes, as if something had happened. A switch goes off at that moment, and it’s totally real. That was interesting for me. You’re not really fake acting. Obviously, it’s not real, but it really did feel real in those moments because I felt different. I had an out-of-body experience. After those really emotional moments, it wasn’t just like ‘Oh, now I’m smiling.’ I was affected by it.”
While she hasn’t seen the entire film yet (“I want to wait until I watch it with everybody!”), she hopes that audiences will take the film as a cautionary tale. Bad things can happen anytime, anywhere, and by anybody. She reflects on how life now differs from when she was growing up, and people must be more vigilant.
“The unfortunate truth is that trafficking, drink spiking, crime, Uber lunatics, and other bad experiences [happen],” says Frankel. “It happens.”
She hopes moms (and parents) will be watching and thinking about these things when they send their kids to school, “It sucks to have to put the fear of death in people, but if it’s going to save lives, then so be it.”
Check out the full interview below:
Danger in the Dorm is set to premiere on Sunday, June 16 on Lifetime.
