Naman Shrestha
Co-written and directed by Michelle Mower, Lifetime’s ‘The Preacher’s Mistress’ is a thriller movie that follows a single mother named Gwen Griffith who has plenty on her plate as she works hard and takes online classes to get her insurance sales license while raising her 7-year-old son Alex. However, that doesn’t stop her mother, Ellen, from trying to set her up with her friends’ sons, only to have Gwen deny the chance. However, her outlook on life changes when she crosses paths with Ed Baker, a charming and successful man who makes her believe she can do with some love after all.
However, things get complicated when Gwen finds out Ed is married and is the preacher in a church. When his wife is murdered, Gwen is pulled into the investigation for being one of the prime suspects while she attempts to fight for her freedom and her son’s custody. Given the realistic central themes, such as adultery and murder, it is natural for the audience to wonder if the movie, originally titled ‘A Woman Betrayed,’ is inspired by a true event or not. At the same time, the multitude of locations featured in the film makes you curious about the filming sites. So, allow us to answer the questions that you might have regarding the thriller!
The Preacher’s Mistress is a Fictional Tale
No, ‘The Preacher’s Mistress’ is not based on a true story. Instead, the nail-biting yet realistic narrative is the collaborative creative effort of director-writer Michelle Mower and writer Kevin Dean. All the elements portrayed in ‘The Preacher’s Mistress’ are fairly deeply-rooted in reality as we have all heard of cases of infidelity, betrayal, and even murder. For instance, take the case of the real-life love triangle of Mark Gerardot, his wife Jennair Gerardot, and his lover outside of marriage Meredith Chapman, which ended up in the death of the latter two in 2018. Jennair reportedly knew about Mark’s affair and broke into Meredith’s house and shot her in the head before doing the same to herself.
Another one of the reasons you might think that ‘The Preacher’s Mistress’ might be a true story is that these themes have been explored in many movies and TV shows over the years, be it ‘Framed for Murder,’ ‘Indiscreet,’ or ‘Baby Monitor: Sound of Fear.’ However, ‘Double Jeopardy’ has to be one of the closest examples. The 1992 Lawrence Schiller directorial revolves around a married man named Jack Hart who indulges in a steamy affair with her ex-girlfriend, Lisa.
Jack and Lisa’s equation is quite similar to the characters of Ed and Gwen in ‘The Preacher’s Mistress.’ Moreover, the themes of murder and adultery are also common in both movies. So, it would be fair to say that the two brilliant minds, Michelle Mower and Kevin Dean, combined their experience and skillful vision to develop a gripping screenplay that makes one believe the story is not far from reality when the truth is that it is a fictional tale.
The Preacher’s Mistress Filming Locations
‘The Preacher’s Mistress’ was filmed in Texas, specifically in Greater Houston, where most of the story is set. As per reports, the principal photography for the thriller movie commenced in April 2013 and wrapped up within a month or so, in May of the same year. Now, without much ado, let us take you through all the specific sites that appear in the Lifetime movie!
Greater Houston, Texas
The production team of ‘The Preacher’s Mistress’ set up camp in Greater Houston, the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the entire country, to tape all the pivotal sequences for the movie. They reportedly utilized the locales of numerous cities across the metropolitan area, including Alvin, Bellaire, Friendswood, League City, and Pearland, with a bulk of the shooting taking place in the city of Houston.
Situated mostly on the gulf coastal plain, Houston is the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area and the most populous city in Texas. The city is home to many tourist attractions and places of interest, including the Theater District, Space Center Houston, Hermann Park, Terry Hershey Park, and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, some of which you might spot in a few scenes of the film.
The Preacher’s Mistress Cast
Sarah Lancaster stars alongside Drew Waters as they essay the roles of Gwen Griffith and Ed Baker, respectively, in the Lifetime thriller. Sarah Lancaster might seem a familiar face to many of you as she has been featured in various movies and TV shows over the course of her successful career, including ‘The Judge,’ ‘Saved by the Bell: The New Class,’ ‘Everwood,’ ‘What About Brian,’ and ‘Chuck.’ On the other hand, Drew Waters is known for starring in ‘True Detective,’ ‘Bones,’ and ‘NCIS: Los Angeles.’
Other cast members who play supportive yet pivotal roles in the thriller film are Natalia Cigliuti (Sidney Marshall), Eleese Lester (Ellen Griffith), Logan Lindholm (Alec Griffith), Julia Barnett (Kelly Baker), Bryan Mitchell (David Wyatt), David Born (Dwight Tomkins), and Angela Rawna (Rita Alvarez). Furthermore, Kevin Dean (Detective Quince), Jeannette Clift (Mrs. Cullum), David Maldonado (Ben Nelson), Jessica Grizzaffi (Vivica Aimes), Rutherford Cravens (Wayland Meyerton), and Bob Wilson (Judge McClain) feature in the movie as well.
Read More: Where Was Lifetime’s Engaged to Be Murdered Filmed? Who is in the Cast?
