Emmy-nominated actress Ashley Jones (“The Bold and The Beautiful” and “True Blood”) chatted about starring in “The Girl Who Survived: The Alina Thompson Story.” She also served as an executive producer on this Lifetime project.
Synopsis of the new Lifetime movie: ‘The Girl Who Survived: The Alina Thompson Story’
Based on a true story, “The Girl Who Survived” follows 15-year-old Alina Thompson (Brielle Robillard), an aspiring model in Los Angeles during the ‘80s, who gets caught in the dangerous web of a serial killer.
Without the knowledge of her parents, Carl (Sam Trammell) and Nancy (Ashley Jones), Alina sneaks off to attend an amateur photo casting call where she meets up-and-coming photographer William Bradford (Steve Byers).
Unbeknownst to Alina, William is a serial killer hiding in plain sight, using his charms to lure aspiring young women into secluded photo shoots that end in unspeakable violence.
After their meeting, Bradford becomes obsessed with Alina and her beauty and ultimately sets his sights on her as his next victim. Thanks to the protective instincts of Carl and a series of fateful twists, Alina manages to survive, where many others did not.
Jones on producing and starring in a new Lifetime movie
On being a part of this new film, Jones said, “It was absolutely amazing. I know Alina Thompson personally, and my producing partner, Pierre David, and I heard her whole story, and we really believed this would be a movie.”
“So, we did a pitch and we took it to Lifetime and we did all this from the ground up,” she noted.
“So, it was exhilarating to get to be there from the very little seedling of an idea and watch it all the way through next Saturday night on September 20th, when hopefully a lot of people will also tune in to watch,” she elaborated.
Jones on playing her character Nancy
On playing her character Nancy, Jones said, “I play Alina’s mom, Nancy Thompson. Alina is the 15-year-old girl that actually does escape a serial killer. Sam and I play her parents.”
“Nancy is a little bit more of an independent woman in the early ‘80s; it’s an interesting time,” Jones admitted.
“Women just kind of in the recent years were able to vote, if you can believe that, in America. So, it’s a nostalgic kind of feeling because it takes place in 1984 in Los Angeles. So, it’s a period piece,” she explained.
Working with Sam Trammell and Brielle Robillard
On working with Sam Trammell, Jones said, “I’ve known Sam for years; we date back to ‘True Blood.’ Sam is such a joy to work with and he is such a good actor. He always does more than what’s on the page. I never know exactly what he is going to do, and that’s a lot of fun for me.”
“Working with him again felt like such a warm blanket over me, so I loved that,” she said.
“Sam plays Carl Thompson, the father, and he’s very concerned and has a tight relationship with his daughter. He really wants to make sure that she’s safe,” Jone s said.
“My character does, too. But Sam is really more of the helicopter dad,” she added.
Working with Brielle Robillard as Alina
“Brielle Robillard plays Alina Thompson, the young Alina, and she’s so natural and easy to work with,” Jones said.
“I mean, everybody pretty much came prepared, like ridiculously prepared every day. Brielle was just so authentically real and it was really refreshing to see that.”
Working with Steve Byers, who plays the serial killer
“Then, we had Steve Byers play William Bradford, who is the serial killer. Wow, he would give me chills so much. Steve came really prepared each day,” she said.
“Steve was fantastic in the film, and we got really, really blessed with all these actors that wanted to come to work every day and were extremely prepared and brought ideas,” she noted.
“It was a real collaboration of a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” she added.
Working with Michelle Ouellet as director
“Michelle, the director was fantastic, and it was an honor to get to stand next to her and watch her work,” Jones said.
“I learned a lot from her as well, kind of just peering over her shoulder every day from Video Village and getting to see how her brain works. I really enjoyed getting to almost shadow her as a director,” Jones elaborated.
“Then, I had my own stuff as an executive producer, and then, I was also acting in it,” she said.
“There were days that I felt like I was doing a little more than I than I expected to be doing, but I love it! I thrive when I am on set. I really thrive off the energy,” Jones exclaimed.
Closing thoughts on the Lifetime movie
For fans and viewers, she remarked, “First of all, it’s a true crime, historical piece. So, I know a lot of people just appreciate getting to find out, like, it’s just hard to wrap our minds around that level of evil that exists in the world.”
“And just like it happened in the 80s, I feel like what I hope, especially parents and grandparents, take away from this movie is that it’s not over,” she acknowledged.
“We have much more technology to figure out who are sexual predators, rapists and serial killers are today than we did in the ‘80s,” she said.
“There’s the invention of the Internet, the cell phone, DNA, fingerprinting, and computers across federal government and all of that,” she explained.
“The Wild, wild west is still here. It just exists on platforms, social media and roadblocks. I feel like we’re keeping kids safe at home, but we’re letting them go loosey goosey on the Internet,” she elaborated.
“I hope that people can just make that comparison, and that it can — Lord willing — make people really look at how to keep our children safe,” she concluded.
To learn more about actress and executive producer Ashley Jones, follow her on Instagram.
