Ashley Scott and I shared a wonderful phone conversation about her latest Lifetime project, Manny Dearest.  She was refreshingly open and down to earth.  She also recognized straight away that I’m Southern, a trait we have in common.

So, how are you?
Things are good.  We just bought a house in Topanga Canyon, which is an interesting place to raise our kids.  We’re hiking in the mountains and checking out all the critters.

Your bio says you have two children?
Yes, I do.  I have a seven year-old and a 19 month-old.

Tell me about Karen.
Karen Clark, yes.  Have you seen the movie yet?

No, not yet.
It’s my favorite one I’ve done so far [Ashley has filmed several movies for the Lifetime network].  It was a lot of fun.  Karen lost her husband and she ended up having to go back to work and needed to hire some help.  So, her girlfriend organizes interviews and convinces her to hire a manny, a male nanny.  And she hires this guy that seems to get it all right as far as what Karen’s looking for in someone to keep her children.  Then, he ends up having deranged ideas.  He falls in love with her.  And he pursues this idea that her family is really his family.

I read a little of the synopsis on the show, and it sounds pretty scary.  What’s scary too is that you wonder if it could actually happen in real life.
Of course!

What kinds of things do you think Karen – or anyone in real life – could see, if anything at all, that might be a warning sign about hiring someone to take care of kids?
I think just doing your due diligence and really getting to know the people, calling prior employees, you know.  You have to be careful about letting just anyone into your home.  And still things could happen.

What similarities did you see in yourself and Karen?
I think that I’ve been really fortunate to play these women with a lot of maternal strength.  I think that’s what makes movies like this have such a large female audience.  I mean, we, as women, have such a well of strength.  We never stop to think, we’re superheroes in our own life every day.

Why was this your favorite project to date?
I just like how it turned out.  It’s creepy.  Mitch Ryan, who plays the many, is a fabulous young actor who did a really nice job.  It’s scary, though.  It scared me.

You’ve had roles in a lot of great projects in both TV and film.  What are some of your most memorable roles?
They’re all so rewarding in so many different ways.  I’ve been really fortunate to work on some really fun projects.  One of my favorites was BIRDS OF PREY.  Of course, that was a long time ago.  They’re all different.  These movies remind me that no matter where we are in life, we’re always fighting a battle, and we can conquer anything life serves us.  Life’s an adventure.  You don’t have to make a movie to make it one.

You have an upcoming project called A Woman Deceived.
That one just wrapped, and I’m not able to talk about it at the moment.  It was shot in Albuquerque.

One of your latest projects was Fatal Defense.
Yes.  That was about a woman who was attacked and ended up learning self defense lessons.  Come to think of it, the guy that she’s dating ends up being a creep too.

Oh, no.  Sounds like a pattern.
There are just creeps everywhere.

One thing I didn’t see on your bio was how your career really started.
Well, you know what, I came here to visit a friend, and I really wasn’t sure what my path was in life.  I had been modeling for a long time, and I wanted to do something different that was more challenging.  So, when I came to visit my friend, the next thing I knew I was auditioning for a part.  I got the part, so I thought, ‘a door is opening, so I’d better go through it.’  I’ve been working ever since.  And I’m super grateful.  And I’ve really learned on the job – how to act like an actor.

Thank you so much.  I look forward to watching Manny Dearest.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  I’m really proud of it.  I think you’ll enjoy it.

Manny Dearest airs on the Lifetime network Saturday, April 29, at 8 P.M.