A college sorority's solidarity is tested this weekend in the Lifetime movie Line Sisters. LeToya Luckett (Valerie), Kierra Sheard-Kelly (Cassandra), Ta'Rhonda Jones (Simona) and Drew Sidora (Domonique) star as members of the Alpha Beta Omega Sorority, Inc. who reunite at a Black Greek Weekend celebration, only to be haunted by the death of Jodi, their long-ago dean of pledges. Given the circumstances of her death, the foursome decides to keep details to themselves, but when a series of mysterious events taint their getaway, they girls find themselves in real peril.
The film is a refreshing return to Lifetime's popular mystery/horror genre, with its vocally talented cast adding a lot of music to the project, along with an ever-timely exploration of the risks surrounding hazing rituals. "I think jumping over the hurdle of fear and doing my first horror film was the draw for me," Luckett (pictured at top) recently explained while promoting the film. "Val was kind of close to home because she had a real chill personality, and seemed to be the one that everyone is drawn to confide in. She tried to take care of everybody, and I kind of see that in myself sometimes. Sometimes too much. So, for me being a part of a horror film was like, 'Oh my god, I'm going to do it!' And I've always wanted to be a part of a sorority. I think this is the closest I'm ever going to get." (Sidora, Jones, Sheard-Kelly and Luckett are pictured below, left to right.)
The rest of the cast agreed. "I get to be a sorority sister! Okay, cool, I'm in," said Jones. "My character Simone [is] from Chicago and very similar to my background -- a little rough around the edges, and always being reckless. So, I was like, 'Why not? Sure!'
"It was my dream, being in a sorority," Sidora chimed in. "Also working with African American women, and that we can come together in sisterhood. I think that's something powerful to be a part of and showcase. Any time I get an opportunity to work alongside beautiful women, I definitely jump on it. My character Dominique is a lot of fun. She's quirky; she loves her Palo Santos and meditation. I felt connected to her positivity. I felt that was a place I was at in my life, so I gravitated to her instantly."
"I wanted to be a part of the sorority, too," added Sheard-Kelly. "[My character] is a woman of faith, and so am I. So, I was the one that was praying the sisters through, because that's usually what I'm doing. And I'm a women's empowerment advocate, so that was really my thing, too. These women are amazing. I was excited to just glean from each and every one of them."
While some of the leads had worked together before, the camaraderie between all was instant. It came in handy while filming the precarious predicaments the stars found themselves in -- some resulting in real terror. "There's a water scene," recalled Sheard-Kelly. "I think all of the sisters could swim -- but I couldn't. I kept looking back at them like, 'Y'all going to help me out?' I was really nervous. I'd just lost my grandfather to COVID, so I really drew that passion, and that fear."
"For me, it was the snake [scene]," Sidora exclaimed. "I thought it was going to be a robotic prop. When they brought that thing out, I was like, 'Wait a minute!' I've never done a horror movie, so this is my introduction with a snake! That scream and that reaction … that was all 100 percent real because I was absolutely scared."
"There's a scene (towards the end) in a basement," Luckett recalled. "It was such a dark moment, and I remember before we started shooting how everybody settled into their space and character. It was super quiet, and you just heard us all weeping. I think everybody was having their own thing going on, but I feel like that was one of the most emotional scenes for all of us."
Scares and emotions aside, the film's stars were elated to have had the shared experience of working together. Luckett summed it up perfectly. "It's having a tribe that you can trust," she mused of the cast's formed sisterhood. "Having a group of women that you can be there for, be your true self with, be transparent with, and know that they got you, good or bad. I like showing up to be that for someone and knowing that I got it.
"I feel in the short amount of time we were together that we were there for each other," she added in closing. "Any time we needed each other or wanted to talk about something, I could trust them, and in that moment, I was in the trust tree and in a safe space.">