Catherine Bell

OF ‘JAILBREAK LOVERS’ ON LIFETIME

What do you think “Jailbreak Lovers,” inspired by the true story of a prison volunteer who fell in love with an inmate and helped him escape, says to viewers?

Hopefully, people don’t resort to this sort of craziness, but I think there’s always that idea of, “Ooh, what if I broke the rules and did something wild for a moment?” People are always going, “Why would someone break the law and do something like this?” Hopefully, we give a little insight into where that comes from.

What sort of research did you do to portray this woman?

I had a lot of interviews (to watch).

I don’t look anything like her, so I gave that up quickly, but there’s an essence to her that I tried to get. She’s got that little bit of the Kansas accent, just this sweet woman who really was totally taken by surprise by this guy, and it just completely altered the course of her life. It was a lot

of fun trying to become this woman who is very different than myself.

It’s interesting that this happens a fair amount, you know, that these (people) are in this unusual situation in a prison and fall for each other. The idea for me of crossing that line and going, “Yeah, let’s break out of jail” ... I mean, really, you’re never

going to get away with it. But it’s just fascinating.

How was it for you to play an edgier character than “Good Witch” Cassie, who gave you a long run between a number of movies and a weekly series?

It’s always challenging to me, which is probably why I love acting so much. It’s never just a piece of cake. It’s like, “Who is this person?” In the beginning, you don’t know who they are or how to become them. (This) was a beautiful challenge. I really, really loved stepping into this edgy and also kind of withdrawn, toned-down person,

someone who’s not so confident. It’s just a lot of fun for me to play all of those things.