My Husband’s Worst Mistake is an upcoming Lifetime Movie Network thriller, starring Sarah Cleveland, Matt Wells, Scott Gibson, and Jinesea Bianca Lewis, that premieres Thusday, June 22, 2023 at 8:00 PM East/7:00 PM Central on Lifetime Movie Network. We at Survived The Shows had the great pleasure of chatting with Sarah Cleveland, discuss her role in the movie and what can fans expect from it. Check out the full interview below!
What drew you to the role of Sarah in “My Husband’s Worst Mistake”? How did you prepare for the character?
SARAH CLEVELAND: Sarah is hard working and a loving Mom and wife. Being a Mom to three girls, I am drawn to roles where you get to explore and see the beauty and the challenges that come with Mother/Daughter relationships and family dynamics. Specifically, in this role, Sarah and her daughter, Lucy (played by Camille Blott) struggle to navigate their relationship while there are so many changes that are happening within their family. This all while trying to figure out how to forgive and move forward with her husband whom she really loves, Kent (played by Matt Wells).
Preparing for the role of Sarah was quite fun, actually. My daughter, Abbie, is always my reader for auditions and is also my study buddy. She is an amazing actor as well, but in this case, she just read the lines of Lucy as herself and it went so smoothly and with lots of laughs in between. As for the role of Sarah, she is a lot like myself in many ways, and so I used those pieces to bring the character of Sarah to life. Mind you, I wish I had some of her design and architectural talents.
Can you tell us about Sarah’s journey throughout the film? How does she evolve and what challenges does she face?
Sarah really gets taken for a ride in this film. She starts off with an understanding and comfort in what her life is, then gets thrown for a loop when Kent confesses his secret to her. It changes everything she knows to be true, and while she isn’t sure how to handle it, she makes a decision, stands by it, and keeps pushing through. When a new opportunity presents itself, she allows herself the freedom to explore the possibility of this new life, but ultimately never strays from how she feels about her family and what she really wants.
“My Husband’s Worst Mistake” explores complex relationships and secrets. What can viewers expect from the film in terms of suspense and drama?
Well I don’t want to give too much away in terms of suspense, but as for drama, there is a bit of that. Sarah is constantly being thrown curve balls, Kent’s life has been turned upside down as well , Lucy isn’t sure where she belongs, and Brad has experienced loss and is dealing with the fallout from that. So there is a lot. In terms of a dramatic scene, there is one very emotional one that will forever stick with me. It is when Kent confesses his secret to Sarah.
Doing a scene like that over and over to get all of the different shots can be a lot. While it was emotionally difficult, it was very real because Matt and I both stayed in those emotions the whole time. Every time I looked up at him, my heart broke for Kent and Sarah and what they were going through.
Being able to be present in a scene like this requires your scene partner to be supportive, dedicated, honest. And offer you the safe space to be that vulnerable. Not only did Matt provide all of these and more, but so did our amazing director, Roxanne Boisvert. She gave us the time, encouragement and positive working space to be fully engaged. I am so very appreciative of both of these special people.
How would you describe the dynamic between Sarah and the other characters in the film? Are there any particularly memorable scenes or interactions?
I really like the relationship between Sarah and Carly (played by Angelica Alejandro). They are these sweet and very real best friends who just tell each other how it is. I have had the same best friend since the first year of high school and the role of Carly really felt like I was talking to her. That, and Angelica is just the sweetest person and instantly felt like a real bff.
Brad (played by Scott Gibson) and Sarah also have great chemistry. Sarah is kind of awkward and a little unsure of herself when it comes to Brad. He brings out something we haven’t see in Sarah yet and It shows a little more vulnerability to her character here because she seems so confident in herself when it comes to all other aspects in her life. This was an easy relationship to work with because Scott was so much fun on set and plays creepy and nice at the same time all too well.
Not on a character note, but as an interaction that was memorable, there is a really sweet family moment that I turned into a prank. As we were nearing the end of the shoot, I asked our Roxanne if I could play a joke on Matt (we needed a good laugh after all of the serious scenes). When it was time to deliver my lines to him, I went completely off script, straight faces. Instead of Matt being confused, he just went right long with it. Made up his own lines as well, and we all had a good laugh. Poor Camille, who was also in the scene with us, had no idea what I was doing.
What aspects of Sarah’s personality do you find most interesting or relatable? Were there any specific traits or experiences that resonated with you?
I appreciate that Sarah, while dealing with some very hard situations, still stands up for herself. She is confident in who she is, but is still real and expresses how she feels. As we get older, I feel we become more sure of ourselves and yet still question if we are doing the right thing. This really resonated with me, watching Sarah go through these moments of strength and yet uncertainty.
There is a scene where Sarah and Lucy have a one on one moment where they actually listen to one another. I really felt this because I think as parents we are always trying to hide the difficulties from our kids and keep them protected, yet they know so much more than they let on. Honesty and taking that time to really understand what one another is experiencing is what makes those relationships solid and a safe place. Camille made it so easy to play her mom because she is just the most lovely person. Meeting and working with her was one of the best things about this film. We became really close and I still get to see and talk to her all of the time. I definitely have Mama bear protection feels for her.
Lastly, what can we expect from you in the future? Are there any other exciting projects you’re currently working on?
There are a few things coming up which I am really excited about. A film I worked on recently, called The Burning Season, will be coming out soon, and I am currently in pre- production for two different TV series’ , as well as in the development stage of my own feature film. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this year.
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Chiara
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