Lifetime kicks off its Unholy Matrimony Weekend with two deliciously devious movies about marriages gone wrong.
Her Deadly Groom premieres Sunday, July 26 at 8/7c, but before it airs, we got to speak with one of the stars of the film.
The charming, down to earth Michael DeVorzon stars as the Deadly Groom in question
TV Fanatic chatted with Michael about the role’s duality, his advice for those who may encounter a Vincent, what it’s like getting into character, and more.
Check it out below!
TVF: I watched your movie, Her Deadly Groom, which was so much fun. I love Lifetime movies because they have a great way of keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Michael: Good. Cool! I’m glad you liked it.
How does it feel to star in a movie that serves as a cautionary tale against online dating?
[Laughs] Well, I hope that I could fulfill my purpose to shed light on the realities — the good and the bad — of online dating. I think that’s the day and age we live in, you know?
As much as it’s a classic thriller with lots of twists and turns, I think it very much is a cautionary tale. It’s a reminder to be aware and stay alert.
And, of course, to not pick up someone like Vincent!
What would your advice be for those encountering potential Vincents in the dating world?
Well, the tricky thing about Vincent is it was hard to see him coming. Those are the most dangerous bad guys — the ones that you don’t see coming.
There are bad guys and villains that you know you have to avoid. When you see them, you can cross the street, or you can move out of the way. You can avoid them.
Unfortunately for Alison, the female character, it was pretty hard for her to recognize Vincent as a villain because he pretended to be such a nice guy. And if I did the role justice, I executed that.
Oh, you did. I would say he was very shady and manipulative, but he was so good at what he did.
Right. As far as my advice, and what I would tell people in real life who are potentially encountering people like Vincent Black, I got a simple answer for you. Are you ready?
I’m ready. Yes.
Trust your intuition. Trust your inner guide because your inner guide will never lie.
I have found in life that we second-guess that inner-guide and intuition. We say, “but he seems like such a nice guy.” But your intuition never lies.
That would be my advice to people. Stay open. Give people the benefit of the doubt, but trust that inner intuition. If it gives you a sign — a no, then trust it, believe it, listen to it, and don’t second guess it.
I completely agree. Sometimes we’re almost conditioned to doubt our instincts and our gut because we’re afraid of being too judgmental or something, but it’s so true. That’s a great answer.
That’s life; we have to keep learning that lesson over and over again, myself included.
So how did you land this role? Did you audition for it, or did they call you up?
Yes, I did audition for it. There were two scenes that I read. One of them was Vincent being romantic and the leading man, and the other scene was the complete opposite. It was the dark, menacing side of the character.
I thought it was an interesting role. I loved the duality and the colors and being able to play with that. I was lucky enough, they called me and thought I was a good fit for the character, and I couldn’t argue with them. [laughs] But no, I think it was a good fit.
I would say so! You were convincing in both ways, and you successfully pulled that off.
Now, do you have a preference as far as what you enjoyed playing around with most? Did you love the romantic lead part more or the bad boy/villain part more?
I enjoyed them both. I suppose the scenes where we really see the dark side were probably a little more fun to play.
There was more I could explore as far as the subtleties and the internal life of the character and how I approach the scenes. Obviously, some of those scenes had a lot of action, which is always kind of fun.
But I can’t complain about hanging out with a beautiful lady like Kate Watson. Ironically enough, when I watched the movie, I saw myself without a shirt, and I was like, “When did that happen?”
I don’t remember being shirtless at all. I had no recollection of it.
[Laughs]
Suddenly, I’m like, “Wait a minute; I have no shirt on again. When did that happen again?”
I’m pretty sure that’s like an unspoken clause for any guy in a Lifetime movie. “Must appear shirtless.” [laughs]
But let me circle back to the darker parts of the film. How do you get into the mindset of playing a character like Vincent? Do you stay in it, or do you snap out of it when they call a scene? What’s that process like for you?
I believe that as an actor, you have to bring yourself to every character that you play. For the lighter, more romantic scenes, I brought myself, and I brought the character into that situation and into whatever his objective was.
When it came to the darker, menacing, more violent scenes, I try to remember what my objective is and what this character is trying to get.
I try to remember that this character is a psychopath lacking remorse and sympathy, and he’ll go to any lengths to get what he wants.
For me, it’s just a switch, turning on a switch, tapping into it, whether Vincent maybe got abandoned by his parents as a kid or if he’s someone who inflicts pain upon others because it was inflicted upon him.
It’s about tapping into his rage or the need to control and getting what he wants at all costs. When it’s time to shoot, it’s like with an athlete. I pump myself up, and I try to get into the emotional state required for the scene, and when they yell, “cut” I’m back to joking around.
Sometimes the best acting is moment-to-moment acting.
I kind of have an idea of how I’m going to start a scene, and after that, I’m going on the ride and staying flexible in the moment.
You use your instincts in the moment. You do your preparation, and then there’s an element of letting go and seeing what happens in the scene and trusting your gut.
Going off of that a bit, did you play Vincent straight or follow your instincts more?
Many times with characters like Vincent, they try to have an almost redemptive quality to them to soften the blow of how bad the character is or elicit sympathy, but I never sensed that with Vincent. Was that always the plan?
[Viewers will see that] we established early on that Vincent is not a good guy. The script was as you see it. We had a little flexibility, but the plan all along was that Vincent was firmly established as a certain type of guy, and then we take you on many twists and turns. You’ll have to tune in to find out more.
You’re an actor, of course, but you’ve also produced. Does having that experience in both arenas make you stronger in both areas or affect how you approach either field?
Yeah, I think so. I hope so. I’ve produced a little bit. I’ve produced some small projects and spent three years in production for television, so I have some experience behind the camera, but I’ve spent more time and focus on writing in recent years.
What I can share with you about my experience behind the camera is that it gave me more of an appreciation for the collective process of filmmaking. It’s not just about the actors, or the director, or any particular department. It’s a team effort.
Having that experience gave me that perspective that everyone is doing the best they can and have a job to do. I’m always trying help, and if I can make anyone’s job easier, I want to be that guy.
It does help because I have a great respect for every department. There are a lot of things that you don’t see. You see the finished product, but so many of the departments don’t get the same attention as those in front of the camera (cinematography, lighting, makeup, set design etc.).
It makes me think of Disneyland. I did some work with Disneyland, and I remember they took us around on a golf cart. It was before opening, and this big gate opened.
We were behind the scenes at Disneyland, and I was like, “Oh my gosh!” There is so much going on at Disneyland behind the scenes, and all my life, and as a kid, I just never thought about –or had any idea that hundreds of people are all behind this wall fulfilling a job so that this can all run smoothly.
It’s the same thing with filmmaking.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we can look forward to seeing?
Well, as you know, Her Deadly Groom comes out Sunday, July 26. Everyone should check it out!
I was lucky enough to get a couple of films finished before the pandemic hit. I have another movie that came out at the end of May called Fast and Fierce: Death Race. I did that with DMX and a bunch of people. It’s an action movie about street racing.
Since this is TV Fanatic, what are some of your favorite TV Shows? Have you been bingeing anything during quarantine?
I actually haven’t. Because of the quarantine, I haven’t been able to go to any movies, but I usually see everything that comes out movie-wise. I haven’t been watching a lot of TV.
I’m usually writing. I’ve been working on a song. I come from a long line of songwriters and music composers, and I started writing my first song with my brother.
But there are so many great shows. One of my all-time favorite shows is Frasier. It’s one of the greatest shows ever made. Breaking Bad is good. Fargo is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Ozark is top-notch.
I started with comedy and went to all drama. [laughs]
It just got darker and darker too. [laughs]
Just like Vincent Black, you think you know what direction it’s headed in, and he surprises you.
Exactly!
I just started watching The Last Dance about Michael Jordan; it’s brilliantly done.
Also, let me not forget about Yellowstone, which stars one of my very good friends Cole Hauser. That’s a great show, and it has that western feel to it, which is something I’ve always wanted to do, a western.
I think you would be fantastic in a western!
Yeah? Thank you! That’s definitely a dream of mine.
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Over to you, Lifetime Fanatics!
Check out Michael DeVorzon in Her Deadly Groom, Sunday at 8/7c on Lifetime.
Don’t forget to come back for our full review. Check out the trailer below!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.