Garcelle Beauvais on Lifetime's Cyberstalker Drama "Caught In His Web"

When the predator's torment becomes unbearable, his victims start dealing with their stresses in a variety of harmful ways; and that's when things take a serious turn. For Beauvais, a single mother of twin teenage boys, the subject matter resonated. "One of the reasons why it was so important, not only to be a part of it, but to get the word out is because it can happen," she recently shared while promoting the project. "I'm always trying to use things as cautionary tales for my boys, and I always say don't ever give your personal information to anyone! Obviously, these girls did, and got targeted, [so] I think this film is really important."

For the film's young leads, much of it also hit close to home. "I had friends in high school who unfortunately had their photos shared," said Thornton (pictured below, left, with Baker, center, and Tremblay). "I feel it's something really common nowadays. Sending a picture is like currency, especially in the age of COVID when everyone's separate, so it's a really important message."

"I grew up in a house where my parents were very aware of what I was doing online, just for my own safety and protection," Tremblay recalled. "I'm grateful that I had that support system and never had to experience anything as traumatic as what we go through in this movie because it's terrifying. It's totally real, and it happens. I was just lucky to be aware of it and avoided that danger."

"For sure," Baker concurred. "I feel, being a young girl in today's society, that you have to normalize [the possibility] that this can happen. If you take pictures, it's kind of inevitable for [it] to happen. I feel this movie dives deep into it on a great level. It's really important, and I'm glad that we're able to share the message."

The film marks Beauvais' first time working with Lifetime (something she finds hard to believe) -- and she was thrilled to begin a working relationship with them. "I've been in the industry for 100+ years," she laughed. "So, this definitely was an opportunity I didn't want to pass up.

"We share so much of our lives on social media, you'd think these young girls could have some privacy when needed, and the fact that you share one photo nowadays can change things," she said of the story. "They can even edit videos, so it looks like you're doing something. To me [this is] really, really, important. Having 14-year-old boys, I try to stress to a point where they're like, 'Mom, not everybody's bad.' I'm like, 'No, not everybody's bad, but there are a lot of people who want to take advantage.' I feel that's what this movie speaks [to]. Even if you're a great kid, with great grades, and abide by the rules, this can happen to you. That's the message."

After living so much of her life in the public eye courtesy of the Real Housewives franchise, Beauvais is no stranger to the pros and cons of social media and what's shared. "I'm always careful," she admitted. "I don't post in real-time, and if I go to an event, I'll post [something] the next day just out of caution. I also feel, for me, when I posed for Playboy, that was a big deal because not a lot of Black women get to be on the cover. I only exposed my top, and [now] I feel like there are pictures that people have edited that are not me.

"It can ruin a career," she continued. "It can ruin your life if certain things are put out there that are not your image, or not what you've done. It's just scary all around, and although social media can be great, that aspect I think is really scary."

With the majority of teenagers now equipped with a smartphone, the film raises the valid question of what an appropriate age is for someone to own an internet-capable device, rather than just a simple phone for emergencies. "The minute you hand your kids a phone, whether it's age 11, 12, 13, it's just scary because they have access to everything," Beauvais asserted. "You can do the parental codes, but there are ways around those. So, I worry. I worry all the time. You can't live your life in fear, but I think you can also be aware of some of the pitfalls. I think we're all sort of learning how to navigate this social media world.

"The cautionary tale is not that you can't trust people, especially if you're in high school, because you need to make friends," she added in closing. "It's what you share with people. If someone's asking you to share something inappropriate, it's probably inappropriate to do so. When this movie is telecast, I'm having a screening at my house with my kids and their friends, because I really want the message out there."

Caught in His Web will be telecast Saturday, February 19 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

Click the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleagues.

The opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author and/or subject(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet, Inc. management or associated writers.