It's almost impossible to fathom that after having such a long stage and recording career, Grammy Award-winning singer/actor Stephanie Mills has never led a movie. That changes this weekend when the legend stars in Lifetime's latest Seven Deadly Sins entry, Pride. Set against the backdrop of a reality TV show, Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story follows TV star Birdie Moore (Mills) and her complicated and fractured family. After becoming a custodian to her adult granddaughter Ella (Keeya King), family secrets begin shattering her world and shine a spotlight on the fact that her beloved son Gabe (Thomas Miles) has been taking advantage of her. With her legacy on the line, Birdie must let go of the pride that estranged her from her deceased daughter, and the pride that blinds her from Gabe's true nature.
"It was scary, very scary," Mills (pictured at top, left) said of tackling her first starring movie role. "I just turned 66, so I was like, 'Lord, let me remember these lines!' Tommy helped me, and Keeya helped me. They were both so great, but I'm telling you, I was afraid. But I just gave it to God. I said, 'God, you got this,' and flew to Vancouver to film.
"It was wonderful for me to do a role that I wasn't singing in," she added. "I was really happy to do that because I wanted to do some acting, and I'm dramatic anyway in my own life. And the message of this movie is so powerful. That's what really drew me to the character, that and the script was written so well."
Despite its entire cast having extensive stage experience, when it came to filming Pride there was a universal challenge. "The biggest challenge was cooking," laughed King (top right). "I can't cook, but Ella is a beautiful, exquisite, baker because that runs in her family. Birdie runs a bakery, so everybody knows how to bake and cook. I actually had to do a little preparing beforehand, like how do I make a cake? I got some eggs, and I made like a little Betty Crocker thing."
"I don't bake, either," chimed in Mills. "I don't, and I'm not a cook! That was a challenge for me, too! Oh, and just remembering my lines. But after I got there it [all] became so organic, and it just flowed. Working with Keeya and Tommy made it such a wonderful experience."
There was a different challenge for Thomas Miles (top center), who is best known for his comedic skills rather than dramatic turns. "I'm a perfectionist," he said. "I wanted to nail it every single time. If I don't nail it, I want to do it again, and again. I want you to give me so many takes until I get it. If it were up to me, we'd still be in Vancouver shooting. I kept thinking, just give me one more, just one more. It was good for me because [people] know me as a comedian, with jokes and prank phone calls. To be able to come and do something completely different, that the audience hasn't really seen, felt good. Then bring the message of, this is the guy that you don't want to be.
"There's this conniving spirit Gabe has," Miles continued. "[He's] trying to win no matter what, and at the end we got to win. So, trying to balance [that], and at the same time see that lovable side as a son was difficult. Also, as a viewer, I want you to see what I'm up to at the same time. That's all a bit of a challenge, but I think I did decent trying to pull it off."
In portraying Birdie, Mills admits to pulling on some personal experiences. "I could relate to what was going on with the family, definitely," she said. "I have brothers going through their pride, and I have a son I'm raising. So yes, I could definitely relate as a mother loving her son so much that she wanted to cover up whatever he was doing.
"My son is 22, and he cons me every day all the time," she continued with a laugh. "But it wasn't too far from me as far as the mother. I've never been prideful, and I'm a person that will say, 'I'm sorry' if I hurt your feelings or something. I've just never been prideful, so that was different for me, and being mean to my son was different. I've never [even] yelled at my son, you know? I've never even said 'no' to him. I know that sounds crazy, but to be mean to Tommy was hard because he's so sweet."
Regarding the film's subject matter, Mills had this to say in closing. "This movie talks about pride, and in our community, we have a lot of pride in families," Mills said in closing. "I hope [viewers] get the message that being prideful is dangerous. You have got to be able to say, 'I'm sorry, I love you,' because some families don't talk for five or 10 years because they're prideful. That's the message that I was so happy was so well written in this script."
Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story will be telecast Saturday, April 8 at 8:00 p.m. (7 p.m. Central) on Lifetime.
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