“I was so excited when I read the script,” actress Tatyana Ali said about the new Lifetime Original Movie Vanished: Searching for My Sister. “The fact that it’s based on a true story and that this really happened, that a woman really went undercover as her twin, all of that was so exciting. I love the notion of not allowing your loved one to remain a statistic or not be cared about; that someone would fight so hard to make sure that her sister, who has been through addiction, been through all these things, that her life mattered.”
(Lifetime)
Tatyana plays twins Jada and Kayla, each with their own distinct personalities and complexities. “You have to use literally everything you know or think you know or might guess at to not just create two people, but then also a relationship, the relationship between them, the history between them,” Tatyana shared about the challenges of both roles. “I was exhausted when it was done, but it was thrilling, and I really liked playing a character like Kayla, even for the short period of time that I do in the film. I’ve never been given the chance to play somebody like her, and she really stole my heart.”
The Parent Trap is one of the most famous movies about twins and part of the fun is that the girls switch places. In Vanished: Searching for My Sister, Jada and Kayla don’t switch places, but Jada goes undercover disguised as her sister in an effort to save her. “I spent a lot of time playing Jada pretending to be Kayla, and those were probably the most challenging parts,” Tatyana revealed. “Playing someone you love, Jada putting on Kayla’s wigs, going out into Kayla’s world which she’s heard of but never really participated in, just the longing to know what’s happened to her sister and to find her.” That aspect added to the overall complexity of playing both parts on a condensed three-week shooting schedule.
At a press conference to promote the film, Tatyana Ali was joined by some of her costars, including Justin Bruening, who plays Kayla’s ex-husband. “Working with Tatyana was amazing,” Justin shared. “Watching her transform into two entirely different people was just phenomenal. I mean, there was even a moment when she did her whole transformation into Kayla, and we were sitting across from each other, and we had masks on and stuff, but I didn’t know it was her, because I’d never seen her. I mean, I just worked with her twenty minutes before that, and I was like sitting across from this woman. I’m like, ‘Who’s that? They just let anybody in on this set. It’s just strange.’” The anecdote made Tatyana laugh, but she confirmed that it was true.
“Everyone goes to Lifetime to watch these types of movies,” Anthony “Treach” Criss shared about the joy of participating in a Lifetime Original Movie. “One thing that’s beautiful about Lifetime, the masses are going to tune in. They have a long list of anything that comes on Lifetime, I’m here. So it’s just an honor to be on Lifetime because you know that following, that cult following is goin’ be there for you.”
“I’ve worked with Lifetime many times now, and I always feel really supported by the network and by the executives,” Tatyana Ali shared, who has been starring in films for the network since 2013. “That’s always a really good feeling, and they stay in communication while you’re filming and that’s awesome. It’s true, there’s this very wide audience, and there’s something about Lifetime. I always think about my cousins and my family because I know they’re going to be watching it, got to make them proud. Everyone’s going to be texting me while it’s on, and there’s something about that that’s actually really special.”
You can join Tatyana Ali’s family in watching Vanished: Searching for My Sister when it premieres Saturday, January 22nd at 8/7c on Lifetime.
Lifetime is part of A+E Networks, a joint venture between Walt Disney Television and the Hearst Corporation.