Bethenny Frankel is a name that is recognizable to fans of reality shows as she was an original cast member of the Bravo series “The Real Housewives of New York” for eight seasons and the on the NBC competition series “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” She’s also a founder of Skinnygirl, an author and podcast host.
She’s adding a new credit to her resume as one of the stars of “Danger in the Dorm.” The latest Lifetime movie to be ripped from the headlines airs at 8 p.m. June 16 on the cable channel.
Frankel plays Joanne, a very protective mother who becomes concerned when her daughter, Kathleen (Clara Alexandrova), begins a quest to find justice after the tragic murder of her childhood best friend and fellow classmate. Joanne’s effort to protect her headstrong daughter creates some tense moments for the pair.
Frankel wasn’t necessarily looking to take on scripted roles, but she got a call offering her a chance to be in the made-for-cable film. Having spent years watching Lifetime movies, Frankel was immediately intrigued with the idea.
“I didn’t know the extent of the part,” Frankel says. “It being a true story about a murder on a campus and me being a mother who is very protective and very, very close to my daughter, it was all just an incredible experience.
“I just said yes because it seemed so outlandish — the request. It was just an experience and a journey and I enjoyed it.”
The film deals with a close relationship between a mother and her college-age daughter. Frankel could relate in a small way because of her own teenage daughter but she found that it would take more than calling on her own life as she was playing the mother to a young woman who has already gone out on her own.
She came away from the project knowing that once her daughter gets older, she is going to be even more protective of her. That won’t be that dramatic a change as Frankel already calls herself a “mama bear” who has never hesitated to call out members of the press who have criticized her daughter.
“It’s cool until it’s not and then I will get real intense, real fast,” Frankel says. “So that is what I could pull from and really make into that character. That mama bear.”
Frankel’s daughter is played in the film by Clara Alexandrova who is best known for her work on “A Million Little Things.” She has also appeared in “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” and “Midnight Whispers.”
Alexandrova connected deeply with her character, especially in the way Kathleen would not give up once she set her mind to finding answers.
“I understand her. I think she looked up to her mother a lot and in my real life, my mom is a star in my eyes,” Alexandrova says. “As much as their relationship was turbulent and had its tensions and its complications, I think the root of their relationship was that they saw a lot of themselves in each other.
“There are some scenes in that movie as the actor where I found that the root of where it was all coming from was admiration for my mother.”
Working on the Lifetime film gave Frankel a different perspective on show business. She has been in front of cameras for a massive number of hours but taking on the role in the film helped her find a new respect for actors and the process. It was a demanding experience but one that has kindled the interest in Frankel to do more.
What acting role Frankel would take on next would depend entirely on the project. She considers herself a “free bird” and the time waiting on a set to film the next scene is counter intuitive to the way Frankel likes to operate.
“It’s a lot of work and there is a lot of pressure. You don’t want to make a fool of yourself or anyone else,” Frankel says.
Love is a deadly thing
“Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story,” set to debut at 8 p.m. June 15 on Lifetime, is based on the true events of a deadly love triangle that led authorities on an international manhunt.
After pro-cyclist Moriah Wilson (Larissa Dias) is found dead after a short-lived affair with fellow professional Colin Strickland (Kyle Schmid), all signs point to Texan yoga teacher and Strickland’s on-and-off girlfriend, Kaitlin Armstrong (Caity Lotz) as the killer. After being accused of allegedly killing Wilson in a jealous rage, she vanishes into thin air.
On the run, Kaitlin alters her appearance in attempts to elude the authorities as they work to track her down, leading them to places that they never expected to find her.
