It's the essence of what is known as "a Lifetime movie": a woman facing incredible odds to ensure justice is done. That framework has serviced numerous dramas and actresses, and it does so again as Lifetime debuts the fact-based film "Bond of Silence" Monday, Aug. 23.
The name of the real person played by Kim Raver is Katy Hutchison, but her movie alter ego is Katy McIntosh, suddenly widowed one New Year's Eve when her attorney husband (David Cubitt) is killed while dealing with a nearby teen party that has gotten out of hand. As she tries to determine the exact circumstances that led to her spouse's death, Katy is stonewalled not only by the youths who are unified in their silence but by their very protective parents. Charlie McDermott plays a teenager who has a direct role in the tragedy, and Greg Grunberg portrays a police detective trying to help the driven Katy get to the truth. Jacob Hoppenbrouwer and Ruby Curtis play the McIntoshes' young twins.
Raver appreciated Hutchison's visit while "Bond of Silence" was in production, but for creative reasons, she's also glad that presence wasn't constant.
"Katy helped us to a point, so that we could really tell the story," Raver says. "She was very available to me when I needed it, but when you're dealing with someone's life, you also want to pick the moments where (such firsthand contact) is appropriate.
"I thought it would be easier to have the real person there, but it actually posed some challenging things that we had to sort of work through. What may have happened at times in her real life may not have been the best way to tell the story. The experience she went through happened over several years, and we found that was going to be difficult to do dramatically, so we had to condense the time."
Grunberg also had a considerable task in melding the traits of several investigators into a composite character for the movie's purposes. "He's an amalgamation of five detectives who worked on the case," the amiable actor explains, "but a lot of the investigating was done by this very persistent woman who lost her husband and refused to live by this unethical social rule that was set up. In the movie, she's constantly on my character not to settle and to find the answers."
While they had no intention of diminishing the story they were telling, Raver and Grunberg found the need to let off some steam on the "Bond of Silence" set in British Columbia, where the real Katy lives.
"We were able to have a ton of laughs off-camera," Raver reports, "then really dive into some heavy-duty territory when the cameras rolled. Greg was a great partner to be able to have some laughs with ... and thank goodness, because there weren't a lot of laughs in the script."
Indeed, Grunberg says, "We were shooting in an area where everybody who lives there knows about this story. It was very big news there. There are so many questions I have about it myself, it was really interesting to play a detective in this and kind of keep those questions alive.
"Luckily, Kim takes the same approach that I do, which is to do my homework to a fault," says Grunberg, a former "Heroes" star who will tackle series work again in NBC's "Love Bites" at midseason.
Directed by television veteran Peter Werner, who has handled such other Lifetime films as "Gracie's Choice" and "Girl, Positive," "Bond of Silence" keeps Raver front and center. She likes having a project rest largely on her shoulders after being part of so many ensemble casts, including "24" and "Grey's Anatomy."
"I would love to start producing eventually as well," she says, "because I love the process from start to finish: finding a piece, building it, casting it and putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. I do enjoy that pressure - maybe it comes from being from New York! - but you know you're never doing it alone.
"I've had some really fine examples of people who do that extremely well. For instance, I learned so much from Kiefer Sutherland (Raver's leading man on '24'). He set the bar so high, everyone would want to rise to that level. He was extremely professional, talented, intelligent and caring. Watching someone like that is very inspirational."
While Katy Hutchison is a real person, she's also the latest addition to Raver's stable of strong female characters also encompassing such other shows as "Third Watch" and "Lipstick Jungle."
"I think television, especially now, is such a fantastic medium for actors in general," the actress reflects, "and particularly for strong women. What I love about these characters is that they've all been somewhat flawed and multidimensional."
