Jaclyn Betham – Getaway

By: Kelly Kearney

Q) You play Tamara in the horror thriller Getaway. Tell the fans a little bit about the film and how Tamara fits in.

A) Everything with the release is still planned, but as time keeps going, I have no idea what’s going to happen. But it’s going on iTunes and that will be good. People who are social distancing can hopefully take their minds off of this madness that’s happening and watch the movie! The film is called Getaway and it’s about a group of girls that go on and getaway trip and one of them gets taken by three cultish men. Then, things start happening while she’s on their property. And by the end you’re not sure who the cat or the mouse is. So, you have to watch to figure it out.

Q) Along with director Lane Toren, you wrote the film. What inspired you to write the script?

A) I had been writing several scripts, but they were all massive budget films and I really wanted to produce and actually and get a film made. So, we were talking and Lane was like, “These are all decent scripts, but they are on a huge massive scale.” So, then one day we were talking and it just all formulated. We took the idea and ran with it. I think I wrote the whole first draft over maybe three days. It was really fast.

Q) Did you always have an interest in writing or was this a new opportunity which presented itself and you took it?

A) I started writing probably ten years ago, but I never fully developed scripts until maybe eight years ago. Once I started working more in the film industry and after seeing the content that was made and what characters I wanted to play and things that empowered me to want to make stuff I was sick of playing the dipsy girl or the college girl or the single mom that’s going away for the weekend to get laid. Do you know what I mean? These characters were fun to play, but I wanted them to have more depth. I wanted a very woman forward project and, actually, a lot of our crew was all women. I wanted to make sure of that. Our Director of Photography and our Focus Pointer were both women. Our Art Director was a woman, too. I was trying to include everyone but it’s hard there is not a lot of women you can find behind the scenes or behind the camera. So, if there’s a platform for women who are able to step into those roles, they’ll be more of us and that was my goal. Especially as a producer. I want to be able to hire women in those roles.

Q) These days, more and more independent filmmakers rely on crowdsourcing to get their projects made. Do you see crowdsourcing as the future of indie filmmakers, actors and writers like yourself?

A) Crowdsourcing for funding or like getting the word out? Yeah, I tried to do that. I actually financed the film myself and it is hard. I applaud people that are able to do that, but my personal view is it takes a very specific personality to make that work. If people are capable of doing that and they have that drive and the personality for it, I think it’s a great source for people to utilize because it really is hard to get things funded these days. I see movies and I get emails all the time from producers and there’s like huge Academy Award winners attached to movies and they still can’t get funding. It’s very hard to get things made and I think whatever producers or people can do to make their content and fulfill their dreams they should do it.

Q) You shot this film on location, deep in the woods of North Carolina. Do you think the rural location added to the cinematography of the piece?

A) Oh yeah, it was so beautiful. We didn’t have to do much because it was so rural. You know, the farms and the stables and everything was just there for us to use. We didn’t have to create a ton of locations and sets to make the movie possible, which made it really easy because we shot the whole film in twelve days because of budget. Luckily, we didn’t have a ton of different locations, so we were able to do that and it was only an eight-hour day because it was a SAG film and we had to get in the shots in on time. It was Fall and it was so beautiful in the beginning of November. It was cold, but I think that added to the look. It made the shots insane, especially the drone shots which were my favorite.

Q) Horror movies are more popular now than ever. What is it about this film that sets it apart from the rest?

A) I love horror. I’ve watched a lot of thrillers and horrors because I’m such a big fan of them. I think that this one is more like a psychological thriller, a deeper story and for a lot of people that’s what they’re attracted to. Also, the lead we found was a no name actor who is just a phenomenal. This is actually his first film and his acting is so beautiful and so incredible that I think people will attach themselves to his character. There are so many twists and turns that are not expected in this movie, so it’s a fun watch. Also, there’s not a ton of blood and guts and things like. It’s more psychological. So, if you like that kind of thriller then I think you’ll enjoy this.

Q) The horror genre is broken down into various little sub genres and each one has passionate and dedicated fans. What kind of horror fan will this movie attract?

A) A lot of people are fans of Scout Taylor Compton from Rob Zombie’s Halloween She has a cult following for her horror films that she’s been in. So, I think if people don’t necessarily love psychological thrillers, a lot of people will probably want to support and watch her in this. So, yes, psychological thriller fans I would say is definitely the type of fan that would like this horror film. I mean, it’s definitely not a Saw type horror or anything like that.

Q) What is it about the “backwoods cult” theme that makes for such an entertaining horror film?

A) I was actually living in South Carolina when I wrote this. I grew up in a very religious home, so I knew The Bible very well. I wanted to incorporate that just because being in North Carolina I would see how people would take scripture and twist it to fit their motives. I thought that was an interesting aspect and I wanted to do that with these men where they could take scripture or a higher power than themselves and use that as an excuse to give them a motive to do all the bad things they were doing. They really saw it as them creating good, which is just a completely psychotic. So, I think the human mind and the human behavior…I mean, what we’re going through right now with the Coronavirus, to see how people handle things and how the whole world goes into a panic state and how people handle it and how we treat each other, I’ve always been fascinated by the psychology and sociology of humans. It’s always been the reason I’ve been attracted to psychological thrillers. I’m always like, “OK, how does this person or what makes this character tick? What’s going to drive them through the story?”

Q) Fans also know you from the television show “The Haves and Have Nots.” What was it like working on that show and what do you miss most about playing Amanda Cryer?

A) I don’t miss crying all the time. [laughing] That girl cried so much! We shot sixty to ninety pages a day. Tyler Perry shoots very quickly, so when you have a girl that’s bipolar and you’re playing her and you’re shooting an episode and a half a day and you’re crying that much, it can be exhausting. It was like acting boot camp. I felt like, “OK, I got through that, bring it on! I can do anything after this!” It was awesome. And Tyler and Oprah are such incredible human beings. They’re just a force and they’re both icons. I think it was just being in their presence that was so amazing. The thing I miss the most is just the cast. Seeing them every day and being part of such a big production every day and the love that everyone brought was pretty incredible.

Q) What’s next for you, Jaclyn. Do you have any other projects you’re working that you would like to tell your fans about?

A) Yes, I just shot a movie called Stars Fell in Alabama and I play the antagonist. It’s a rom-com and a juicy evil character that was a lot of fun to play. My mom was so excited I was in a rom-com and then I played the bad guy and she was like, “Of course!” We just started post-production for that, and I think it’s coming out on Apple TV, but I don’t think they have a release date yet.

Q) Is there anything you would like to tell the fans and supporters of your work?

A) I’m so grateful. I know I’ve been all over and on so many different shows and random things and I’m just so thankful that people watch everything. It’s been so awesome. I’m just so grateful for them.