Catherine Bell on Her New Ripped-from-the-Headlines Lifetime Movie "Jailbreak Lovers"

Bell portrays Toby Dorr, a woman in Kansas whose non-profit dog rescue and rehabilitation program enlists the aid of local prison inmates. Believing companionship will benefit both the prisoners and the canines, she teams with John Manard (Tom Stevens, pictured with Bell), an affable inmate who makes her feel safe, and with whom she bonds. As the friendship turns amorous, Toby becomes embroiled in an escape plan, with hopes of beginning a new life with John -- albeit on the run.

One thing Bell didn't expect when accepting the role was that similar real-life events would be playing out that closely mirror the 2006 story of Toby and John. In April of 2022, Alabama corrections officer Vicky White aided her inmate boyfriend Casey Cole White(no relation) in his escape from prison -- with tragic results.

"It was unbelievable that happened," Bell exclaimed while promoting the movie. "It was like, okay, life imitating art imitating life. Interestingly, this happens a fair amount, [where] these people are in this unusual situation in a prison and fall for each other. The idea for me of crossing that line and going, 'Yeah, let's break out of jail.' I mean, really, you're never going to get away with it, you know. That one ended very tragically, but it's fascinating."

Having just endured those similar events on screen, the real-life events unfolding after she'd wrapped production didn't impact her opinion of the Alabama story. "I don't think [I was rooting for Vicky and Casey]," she reflected. "No, I wasn't really thinking about it either way. But it was very, very sad, of course, how [that] ended. I would have preferred a happier ending than that, for sure."

"We kind of tell the fictitious fun side of this," Stevens explained. "The true story between Toby and John is a little darker in reality than the story that we told. I'm sure that that story was darker, too. I mean, we can have with this because we're making a movie about it, but these people were going through something, and it's more serious when it's real."

Neither star was familiar with 2006 events that inspired this film, but their friends were. "I hadn't heard of it at all," admitted Bell. "When I started telling people about it, a lot of [them] remembered seeing it on the news and on Dateline and Anderson Cooper."

"Yeah, the same for me," Stevens said. "Escaping out of prison in a dog crate? I think it maybe a rang a bell but maybe I'm like, 'Yeah, maybe that's just a logical way to sneak out of prison.' But I hadn't heard about the case itself.

"I easily fit in that dog crate," he added. "It was too easy, and I wanted a smaller one. I wanted to do contortions."

For Bell, stepping back into the edgier world of Lifetime, after wrapping Good Witch, was a challenge she was ready to accept. "I love acting because it's always challenging," she shared. "It's never just a piece of cake. Like it's like, oh, who is this [character]? In the beginning, you don't know who they are, or how to become them. Watching her interviews and trying to work on that was a beautiful challenge. I loved stepping into this. Toby is kind of withdrawn; kind of a toned-down person who's not so confident or whatever. It was just a lot of fun for me to play all of those things."

She also appreciates and understands why these true-life-inspired stories resonate with viewers. "It's just that natural curiosity that all humans have [about] what is going on in someone's else world," she reflected. "And, yes, this is a crazy world. It's something that, hopefully, most people will never experience. Then there's that other concept of, 'What were they thinking, and why would someone do that?' Hopefully, [viewers will] get a little taste of that with what Tom and I did -- how [Toby and John] fell in love and what led this to this crazy idea that they might get away with running away together."

Both stars admitted to having formed a strong bond while making the movie, and mutually growing as performers. "There are a lot of layers to John," Stevens said of the role. "When I ever felt like I was kind of lost in it, I knew that all I had to do was connect with Catherine. I learned that I could trust in Catherine whenever I felt lost in a scene."

"I had such an incredible time working with Tom, and our connection was really, really special," concurred Bell in closing. "I just looked in [his] eyes and it was all there. I also had the great realization that I can do this sort of a role, which was so different for me, and being able to trust in Tom and making that happen -- it was magical."

Jailbreak Lovers will be telecast Saturday, July 2 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

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