Ashley Jones – The Secret Sex Life Of A Single Mom

Q) How were you approached to be a part of the film?

A) I had worked with Lifetime before and I had worked with the producer Pierre David several times. We love collaborating on projects together. I am usually up for anything he has to throw at me. He had mentioned that there was a project I could come on board producing, but it was very challenging. He wanted to know if I was in for the challenge. It was a long process because Lifetime wasn’t sure I was the perfect person to portray the character in the movie. It took them some time to be convinced. It is an interesting role that I’ve never played. There are parts of her that I’ve never played before. With that said, there are definitely parts that I find very relatable. We both have similar aspects to our personalities and any mother in America could relate to things she goes through.

Q) The movie is based on the memoir of Delaine Moore. How hands on was she in regards to your performance and giving you input?

A) She made sure that we stayed true to her memoirs. She knew there were some aspects of the scripts that were fictionalized to some extent to make the movie work or to go through a couple years of time faster than you can in a book. She didn’t have control over stuff like that, but she came to set and definitely had as much input as feasible. I got to meet her several times and she was wonderful. She never wanted to step on anyone’s toes or try to tell me how to play the character. She just wanted to see how the process worked and be a part of it, like I said, as much as possible.

Q) What did you find the most challenging aspect of your role?

A) Definitely the aspect of domination and submission and making it seem as really real. When you are shooting things out of sequence it’s hard to go from a scene where I’m fixing the kids breakfast to on a phone call with a man that I’ve never met, calling him “the dom” and obeying him. It’s going from one frame of mind to another so quickly. It’s trying to give the character depth to make it real so the audience can feel like she has really gone through so many levels of almost desperation to get to the point of having to listen to someone or have someone dominate her and help break her down enough and build her back up to a sexual being and woman.

Q) Even though the role is based on a true memoir, was there anything you added to the character that wasn’t in the script?

A) I think as an actor we all bring parts of ourselves to projects and characters that are just inherent. It’s impossible to not do that. So, I’m sure that I brought something to the character that wasn’t in the script, just making her my own in some way. I can’t think of anything specific, but the character is pretty three dimensional. She had a traditional marriage, had children and thought it was going to last forever, like many people do. She felt very betrayed and desperate at certain points in her life. There were so many things to draw on from the script that I could bring my own experiences from life to make it as real as possible.

Q) You get to work a lot with Alex Carter in the film. Did the chemistry between you come naturally or did it take some time to bond?

A) It was actually seamless. He is actually a wonderful actor and very seasoned. He is veteran of TV, film and theater. And I was excited to meet him because he is such an integral part of Delaine’s metamorphosis with the arc of her character, but I was anxious to meet and see the person that they had cast and see if they had that kind of power and presence on screen. I was completely put at ease the minute I met him and we have worked with some of the same people before. When you are anxious to meet someone on set and you click so well, you find yourself just constantly talking, telling stories and sharing ideas. He gave me a book he wanted me to read. We just clicked really, really well. It’s not always that easy. Sometimes you really do need to put some time into it and rehearse the scenes in a way to try to make them feel real. He brought a few ideas with him wanting me to relax and let him take control of some of the scenes, which is exactly what the two characters were doing. So, it worked out really well.

Q) What was it like working with director John L’Ecuyer and what kind of advice or guidance did he provide you?

A) The director was interesting. We worked really hard, both of us, to see eye to eye on a lot of things. I think he brought some aesthetic to the way that the picture was shot. He had a lot of ideas that were excellent, great and very useful. I think he made a beautiful picture. But I think also that it is such a funny, interesting topic in a lot of ways. I think he pushed me and wanted me to go further in some ways to try to bring more sexuality to the character. Sometimes that is a little bit harder for me. I really didn’t think that was the most important thing to convey in all of this. I thought that it was really on the page already and that it was more important to convey how the woman and the heart of her was searching for a better life, a bigger life, a full life and not so much the sexual aspect of it. So, there were times when I thought it was good that we didn’t see eye to eye because he pushed me in a way that I may not have gone.

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming?

A) The readers won’t fully know the cast and crew, but I loved working with the cast and crew out there in Canada. We shot in different parts of Canada and it’s really, really beautiful. When it’s nice up north it is really, really nice. I had fun and we got to shoot in some gorgeous locations. I had fun during a silly egg beating scene where I am cooking something and working with Alex. That was fun because it was something so monotonous, making scrambled eggs, and somehow he figured out a way to make it really sexy. There is really no other way to describe it. I enjoyed trying to find fun, creative things to throw in the scene. Working with the kids was fun. I usually bond with the kids on set. And just getting to have an eye as a producer I enjoy a lot. And that whole learning process. Every time I’m doing a new project it’s a huge learning curve for me.

Q) Do you think films like this make any difference in how society views the sexuality of single moms?

A) That’s a good question and I think that is Delaine’s goal and why she wrote the memoir. She wanted to give single moms more power and make them feel like they don’t have to neglect themselves. I hope that this film does exactly what your question is. I hope it does show single moms in a different life – that people realize that just because you have children or because it didn’t work out the first time or even the second that there is still a whole other life that you can have out there. For me, the interesting thing was that when a woman feels betrayed and rejected that it is hard to show that and want to go back out there and feel like a sexual being again. I hope that her book conveys that and I hope that the movie shows that there is still life after that kind of rejection. There is a whole thing about online dating and all different ways to meet people and connect. Of course, you have to be careful with that. As long as you are smart about it and keep your head on straight I think that it is not like life is ever over at a certain point. It’s what you decide to make out of it and what you choose to do.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the instant feedback you’ll receive during and after the film airs?

A) That’s an excellent question. I’m on Twitter and I’m probably going to be live tweeting. I will get instant feedback of people saying, “I can’t believe you did that!” or “Wow! That was great!”  I do look forward to that. I don’t know if I’ll pay attention to it, but in this particular case I’m interested in what the feedback will be. This could be polarizing and I think with the title and trailer people are looking at in a way that they are either really into or really skeptical of it. So, I’m curious to see that once you start watching the film that you’ll realize it is just another story about the transformation of a women. I’ll be curious to see if people are responding. I’ll be mostly curious to see if women feel empowered by watching it.

Q) Is there anything else about the movie that you would like to share with fans?

A) One more thing I’ll say is that people are comparing it to Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s interesting to try to make something really profound or have more meaning than it does. What I think is interesting about this film is that there is that hopefully someone will learn something or take away something profound from it. If it’s nothing more than entertainment value that people get from watching it then that’s fine. It’s a fun, Saturday night movie. I hope people will watch it and enjoy it.