Originally Posted On: https://eurweb.com/2021/01/07/hillary-swank-director-deon-taylor-discuss-infectious-energy-on-set-of-fatale/

 

*You might require a distraction right about now. The new Lionsgate romantic thriller, “Fatale,” starring Michael Ealy and Academy Award winner Hillary Swank will give you the much-needed escapism you seek.

The film was released in theaters last December and arrives via on-demand on January 8.

Ealy stars as Derrick, a sports agent who is living the life, with a successful business, tailored suits, a plush office, a beautiful wife, and a lavish Hollywood Hills home complete with an infinity pool.

But, it’s never just that simple. He and his wife – portrayed by Damaris Lewis– are having problems at home. He jets off to Vegas to attend a bachelor party with his business partner Rafe (Mike Colter.) There Derrick ends up having a one-night stand with Val (Swank), a woman he meets in the club.

When Derrick returns to LA, he and his wife are brutally attacked one night by a masked intruder. When the police arrive to investigate, the detective in charge is, you guessed it, Val – who Derrick not only lied to about his name but his marital status as well. Uh oh!

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EURweb correspondent Jill Munroe spoke with Swank – who is also one of the producers of the film, director and producer Deon Taylor, and Fatale co-star Colter about putting the project together, and the family environment Taylor creates on set.

Taylor produced the film for his company, Hidden Empire Film Group, which also put out another Ealy Thriller, “The Intruder” which starred Megan Goode and Dennis Quaid.

Swank says it was Taylor’s energy and the opportunity to play a different type of role that made her want to get involved in the project:

Deon found me. He sat down with me and said, ‘I have an idea. A story that I want you to be in. And I don’t know why you haven’t done something like this genre or role before.’ And I thought the same thing, why haven’t I? He pitched the story and I thought, this is incredible. Just as importantly, Deon is infectious, he’s optimistic. His work as he’s building his career… I saw “The Intruder” around the same time that we met, which allowed me to see how he creates incredible suspense. Which is not easy, it’s like making magic. So I knew this is a director to watch out for and one I wanted to work with.

Taylor explained why he appreciates every moment on set:

When you come from an independent background in film, you’re very respectful of the fact that it’s an honor to make a movie. It’s an honor to be here. The film is like the Super Bowl for directors. You’ve worked all season to get on the field. It has to be magical. You want those people that are working with you, to feel the same energy that you feel being there. And what I love doing is creating a family environment on set. Because what happens – and what a lot of people don’t talk about – is that when I get to hour 19, 20, 21, you want that actor – your partner in that movie – to look at you and be like, ‘yo, let’s get this done.’ Not say, oh, I should be off by now… we know that you can never recapture that moment, so that’s why you feed people your soul and your energy.

Catch “Fatale” via on-demand.