Lifetime’s original film Safe Room may be full of suspense, but behind the scenes, it was a family affair. The directorial debut of Boris Kodjoe and starring his wife Nicole Ari Parker, the real-life couple leaned into their early days of acting together to make this new dynamic work. “We have such a great rapport back and forth because we did meet on Soul Food twenty years ago in a TV setting, so we know how a set runs,” Nicole Ari Parker explained during a press conference to promote the film. Her instincts were to help her husband, but she soon realized that wasn’t the best way to support him. “He is the captain of the ship, and I have to just let him do it. So I pushed back like day one, scene one. And then after that, I just did what he said.”
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“She realized that a lot of preparation went into setting up these shots and I had the confined space, time, a lot of things to deal with, and I think she realized that I had through those things numerous times,” Boris added, revealing that Safe Room not only had a tight shooting schedule but a lot of challenges during production. “We had flooding on the set. We had an active shooter in the neighborhood who made it really hard for us to continue.” In addition, cameras were stolen from a production van and the Brood X cicadas descended on the sound department.
“[Boris] had a plan, and when stuff went wrong he had a way to counter it, and when stuff went wrong the second time he had a way to counter that,” Mackenzie Astin shared, who plays Dominic, one of the two villains in the film. “I don’t know where it comes from, but it was a treat to work with a guy who is such a natural at leading a team.” The feelings’ were echoed by Mackenzie’s partner in crime on screen, Rocco, played by Drrea De Matteo. “I’ve been on too many film sets, TV sets for sure, and I thought that Boris seemed like he had been doing this longer than all of the seasoned directors I’ve ever worked with.”
Playing Nicole Ari Parker’s 14-year-old son on the spectrum is Nik Sanchez. “Since I am autistic, playing autistic just feels like a man playing a man,” the actor explained. “It’s part of who I am, but what I most like about playing Ian is the fact that it helps me learn more about myself and aspects of my own autism, and what other people on the spectrum go through, too. And Ian loves a lot of things like video games, STEM, gadgets, cars, basically, you name it. He’s a big geek, but I love those similar things. Ian and I are very similar when it comes to our character and our traits, and I really enjoyed playing this role. It made me feel that if I was in a similar situation like he was, I would be able to be brave and confident just like he was.”
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Nicole Ari Parker found it easy to connect with Nik Sanchez to bring the mother/son relationship to the screen. “When I met Nik Sanchez, it was very easy to love him and want to protect him,” the actress explained. “Nik was so generous with me because when you’re playing a parent it’s not just the title of mom. It’s the small things, the way you touch your son or your daughter, the way you hug them and talk to them, and I really wanted to respect Nik’s space, and he let me violate him with kisses and hugs. So, yeah, it was a wonderful experience to work with such a talented young actor playing my son.”
The creative team took great care with the portrayal of Ian, not just with the casting of an actor on the spectrum, but also in the way the character was written. “We did a lot of research and partnered with organizations who support children and young adults on the spectrum,” Boris Kodjoe explained. “We wanted to make sure that this comes across with full authenticity and truth, and that’s why I fought to hire an actor who was on the spectrum. And Nik, he superseded any expectations that I had going into this project, and I was so delighted and grateful to have him on board. He really made everybody step up around him and not just in front of the camera, but also just the energy on set changed when he stepped on the set, which is amazing to watch. Representation is everything. It is truly important because it creates normalcy around whatever we’re talking about, in this case, autism. And we wanted to shed a light because we want to make sure that young actors on the spectrum are supported, and the opportunities increase in the industry. It’s much needed. It’s time, and it’s completely normal. The problem has been that we project too much on these performers, on these kids, young adults, and that’s our own problem, and this experience has been eye-opening for me in that we should talk less and listen more, and Nik has taught us a whole lot in those four weeks we spent together.”
Following airings of Safe Room, Lifetime will present viewers with resources to learn more about autism. Safe Room premieres Saturday, January 15th, 1 8/7c on Lifetime.