Hannah Bamberg knows how to cry on cue. She can scream with eye-bulging terror, run like an escaping prisoner and struggle against a staged drowning attempt in a highly convincing way.
The Alabama-born actress, 25, is forging a career in the entertainment world with skills like these, and you can see her in action tonight on Lifetime.
Bamberg, who grew up in Hoover, stars in a made-for-TV movie, “Dying for Motherhood," that debuts at 7 p.m. CT. The film -- an emotional roller-coaster that fits into Lifetime’s “woman in jeopardy” genre -- airs again at 11:01 p.m. today and 5 p.m. on Sunday.
In “Dying for Motherhood,” Bamberg plays a pregnant woman, Tracy McCann, who finds her life spiraling out of control. She decides that her baby should be placed for adoption, and is paired with a wealthy couple, Genevieve and Patrick Parker (played by Emmanuelle Vaugier and Josh Ventura). At their invitation, Tracy moves in with them until her due date.
Tracy gets more than she bargained for, however, when the Parkers turn out to be controlling, neurotic ... and ultimately dangerous. Bamberg’s character must fight for her life, and for her unborn child, to escape the clutches of the treacherous couple. (Watch a preview of “Dying for Motherhood” in the Instagram video below.)
Bamberg, who lives in Burbank, California, says Tracy is “absolutely” the biggest role she’s ever had, and the most challenging.
As the lead, Bamberg appeared in every scene, and her presence was crucial on the movie set in Florida. Filming took place over three-and-a-half weeks in October 2019. When she left the set after each long day, Bamberg spent a couple more hours running lines and preparing for the next day’s scenes.
“It was a whirlwind, but so much fun,” Bamberg says during a phone interview with AL.com. “Lifetime is like a machine; they bang it out. We were there for 12-to-14-hour days. But it was a wonderful experience. Everyone was so kind. It was relaxed, but also fast-paced. It was light-hearted on set, but also hard work, which was empowering."
Other actors have important roles in the storyline, but Bamberg’s character is the heroine. For the movie to be its most effective, audience members must care about her journey and root for her to succeed.
“She’s a woman in jeopardy, but she prevails at the end,” Bamberg says. “The material was so emotional, with lots of crying. ... I knew they were looking for an Anna Kendrick damsel-in-distress who ends up being really strong.”
Bamberg -- whose resume includes parts in TV series such as “Mayans M.C.," “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Betrayed” -- says she was in Las Vegas with her husband, actor Ian Bamberg, when she got the call to audition for the film. (“We like to chill out at the buffets all day,” Bamberg says.)
The casting team was searching for a lead actress, and its timeframe was short: Shooting was due to start in two weeks.
“I videotaped an audition in the hotel room and got a call three days later that I got the part,” Bamberg says. “There was lots of screaming and excitement, then I went straight to work.”
Playing a pregnant woman didn’t give her pause, Bamberg says, although she admits the costuming gear could be uncomfortable. For most of the movie, her character is about five months pregnant, and that required padding.
“It was October in Miami, and so sweaty,” Bamberg says. “It’s weird to play someone who’s pregnant when you’re not pregnant, and have a fake belly. I had a silicone stomach with a Velcro back. It was psychologically weird, and also sweaty.”
In one stress-inducing scene, Bamberg was asked to smash a bottle on another actor’s head. Not such a tough assignment, but it had to be done correctly in a single take. The prop was made from sugar glass, Bamberg says, and only one such bottle was available. Luckily, she aced it.
Still, the most daunting aspect of Bamberg’s job was a three-minute monologue that her character delivers at the end of a crucial scene. Bamberg can’t offer details about the speech -- no spoilers, please! -- but says it tested her acting prowess.
“I wanted to be really prepared, because it’s like the pinnacle of the movie,” Bamberg says. “It surprised me as an actor, because it turns out this is something I can do. After the scene, the other lead (Vaugier) sent me a text message, saying, ‘That was great.’ ‘You’re going to get work.’ That was amazing.”
Bamberg says she’s grateful for the role of Tracy, which required her to express fear, display defiance, summon inner resolve and yes, kick a little butt. Although she knows it’s not a mainline to the Oscars, starring in a Lifetime film is a significant milestone for Bamberg as she pursues an acting career.
“What I’m hoping is that I’ll definitely have a lot of footage to show people, so they’ll want to hire me,” Bamberg says. “They’ll see it and know that I’m reliable. ’That girl can handle a movie if we put her in that position.' ... Any time you go into a casting room and get the part, it’s crazy. They might have 100,000 submissions, and they might call in 50-100 people. Even when it’s a small part, it’s so validating. For me, it’s the building blocks that keep me out here.”
She’s already seen a rough cut of “Dying for Motherhood,” and Bamberg says she’s looking forward to watching the finished product at home with her husband and their Savannah cat, Captain. Bamberg also formed a Facebook group for the occasion, so she can interact with friends and family members online.
Live tweeting? Bamberg says it could happen, especially if she sees Lifetime’s “woman in jeopardy” fans chiming in. And, of course, she has her fingers crossed for another satisfying role, when the novel coronavirus abates and the entertainment industry revs up again.
“I think the ideal, for any actor, is that you are working consistently,” Bamberg says. “I’d like be in films or on a TV show; that would be great. You want to be able to provide for your family, and have a good quality of life. But at the end of the day, I want to be happy. And who knows where life will take you?”