Original Film Stars Niatia “Lil Mama” Kirkland, Lance Gross & Tami Roman;
Marks Feature-Film Directorial Debut for Tasha Smith
#WhenLoveKills
TV One’s latest original film, When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, will premiere tonight, Monday, August 28 at 9 pm EST. The film marks the feature-length directorial debut for Tasha Smith and stars Niatia “Lil’ Mama” Kirkland, Lance Gross, and Tami Roman, with special appearances from Big Freedia, Lil Zane, and Floyd Mayweather. The project is the network’s first original movie inspired by an episode of TV One’s original true crime series, “For My Man.”
When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story tells the tragic story of Falicia Blakely, a teen mom from Atlanta who grows up in the fast-lane. When she becomes an exotic dancer, she attracts the attention of local pimp and predator, Dino. His empty promises of a life together turn Falicia into a pawn in his dangerous games; and she’s forced to prove her love for him at the expense of innocent lives.
“I totally did not see myself playing an exotic dancer, but it was so much more to the story,” says Niatia “Lil’ Mama” Kirkland of taking on the role. “I pulled from the truth of women all around the world who have been victims and not known that they were victims of society. This is what’s so amazing about acting – allowing myself to be as vulnerable as I would be in that moment, just to actually live through the character and become Falicia. I want to do her justice, and so I tapped into truth to tell her story.”
In playing Dino, a modern day Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde who uses Falicia’s desire to be loved for his gain, Gross says he had to “dive all the way in.”
“This is a role nobody’s ever seen me in – they’re used to me being the nice guy,” says the actor, who is known for his roles in Tyler Perry’s House of Pain and Temptation. “I want the audience to know that you really have to be conscious of the decisions that you make, because there’s consequences that come along with it.”
Tami Roman portrays Stacey, Falicia’s alcoholic mother who has jumped in and out of her daughter’s life, exposing her to too much too soon.
Roman said she had to reflect back deeply into her own relationship with her mother as a teenager in order to understand how to play the character.
“At the age of 13 [my mother] sent me to live with my grandmother. By 15 she came to get me, and at that point we became best friends because she had finally gotten herself together,” she recalls. “And I think that is where I tried to become my mom [in this role].”
Each actor transforms into their characters under the directorial leadership of Tasha Smith, whose goal was to challenge each actor to dig deep to relate to their character, while creating a suspenseful, high-stakes drama on screen. In addition to directing and producing, Smith is a multifaceted actress whose work brings style and intensity to the subjects she plays on the big and small screens.
“I feel like it’s my calling to inspire other actors to pursue their purpose in the heart, and that’s why to have the opportunity to direct and to work with actors on that level – I love it. I’m in heaven,” says Smith on stepping behind the camera for the first time.
When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story is written by industry veteran Cas Sigers-Beedles, who previously wrote and executive produced the TV One movies Welcome to the Family and Girlfriends Getaway 1 & 2. The film is produced for TV One by Eric Tomosunas, Keith Neal and James Seppelfrick of Swirl Films. For TV One, Tia A. Smith is Sr. Director of Original Programming & Production and Executive in Charge of Production; Donyell McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting; Robyn Greene-Arrington is VP of Original Programming, and D’Angela Proctor is Head of Original Programming and Production.
For more information about TV One’s upcoming programming, including original movies, visit the network’s companion website at www.tvone.tv. TV One viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Face
This PSA reveals that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of physical violence by an intimate partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Chief Communications Officer Cameka Crawford joined panel discussions at TV One film screenings in Atlanta, New Orleans, New York and Los Angeles to provide the audience with resources to get help if they know someone who may be in an abusive relationship.
“Your instinct may be to ‘save’ them from the relationship, but it’s not that simple. Abuse is about power and control, so one of the most important ways you can help someone in an abusive relationship is to think about how you might empower them to make their own decisions,” says Crawford. “You can also offer support by listening without judgment and reassuring them that the abuse is not their fault. If you need help starting the conversation, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit www.thehotline.org.”
Additionally, TV One partnered with Saving Our Daughters, an organization whose mission is to empower teenage girls from multicultural backgrounds through theater, music, film and television, to help overcome many obstacles such as bullying (cyber, gossip, face-to-face), dating abuse, domestic violence and other esteem slayers. Young ladies attended the When Love Kills premieres held in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles to walk the red carpet with the cast and have a dialogue about real love and self-esteem.
ABOUT SWIRL FILMS:
Swirl Films is America’s “number one urban film production company,” a full service Film & TV production company with over 60 original productions in the past six years, focusing on urban content and programming, independent features and multi-camera productions. Swirl Films is a major content provider for TV One which includes original productions: Born Again Virgin, starring Danielle Nicolet, Meagan Holder and Eva Marcille; Here We Go Again, starring LeToya Luckett, Wendy Raquel Robinson and Kyndall Ferguson; Fear Files(Lynn Whitfield, Robin Givens, Columbus Short), Comeback Dad (Charles S. Dutton, Loretta Devine), Russ Parr’s award-winning The Undershepherd, Hear No Evil, and 35 & Ticking (Kevin Hart).
ABOUT TV ONE:
Launched in January 2004, TV One serves more than 60 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult black viewers. The network represents the best in black culture and entertainment with fan favorite shows Unsung, Rickey Smiley For Real, Fatal Attraction, Hollywood Divas and The NAACP Image Awards. In addition, TV One is the cable home of blockbuster drama Empire, and NewsOne Now, the only live daily news program dedicated to black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV OneHigh Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV One is solely owned by Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK, www.radio-one.com], the largest African-American owned multi-media company primarily targeting Black and urban audiences.
