Naman Shrestha
Based on chilling true events, Lifetime’s ‘Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story‘ revolves around the sensitive subject of child abuse. With Kevin Fair at the helm, the crime drama film follows a picture-perfect family of eight, which includes Ruby Franke, her husband, Kevin, and their six adorable kids. The family documents their day-to-day life and shares them with the world through a web series called ‘8 Passengers.’ However, their perfect life is upended with the entry of Ruby’s marriage counselor, Jodi Hildebrandt. Soon, Jodi begins staying with her, and the manipulation commences.
Jodi convinces Ruby to make her husband move out of the house so they can discipline her children, not through strict parenting but by abusing them. However, when the torture becomes too much for the children, Ruby’s 12-year-old son escapes from the property. This exposes the pattern of abuse that Jodi and Ruby have been inflicting upon two of the latter’s children regularly. With the truth out in the open, the culprits must face justice. While the authenticity of the story captivates the attention of the viewers, the visuals and locations also play their part in keeping the narrative close to reality.
Where Was Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story Filmed?
The production of ‘Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story’ was reportedly carried out entirely in British Columbia, particularly in Kelowna. According to reports, principal photography for the Lifetime movie got underway on July 22, 2024, and continued for less than three weeks, wrapping up on August 10 of the same year. The cast and crew had a lot of fun during the shoot, and they took a lot of memories back home from the set.
Kelowna, British Columbia
Situated on Okanagan Lake in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, the city of Kelowna and a few surrounding areas hosted the production of ‘Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story.’ The filming unit utilized the vast and versatile landscape of Kelowna to its advantage and lensed various pivotal sequences, both interiors and exteriors, in different parts of the city. With its proximity to other metropolitan areas, such as Vancouver and Calgary, Kelowna is one of the preferred production locations for many filmmakers. From the looks of it, the production team of ‘Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story’ set up camp in a few actual establishments across the city to tape indoor scenes, especially the ones set inside Ruby Franke’s residence.
Moreover, in the backdrop of the exterior scenes or aerial shots, you might even spot several landmarks and attractions associated with Orchard City, such as the William R. Bennett Bridge, Prospera Place, Big White Ski Resort, and Apple Bowl. Apart from the Lifetime production, Kelowna has served as a filming site for many films over the years. Some of the notable ones include ‘A Score to Settle,’ ‘Daughter of the Wolf,’ ‘A Mother’s Nightmare,’ ‘When Mom Becomes a Murderer,’ and ‘Mommy’s Stolen Memories.’
Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story Cast
Danish native Emilie Ullerup essays the role of Ruby Franke in the Lifetime production. Throughout her decades-long career, the talented actor has worked on many different kinds of projects. One of her first appearances was on ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ after which she landed several movie and TV projects. You might recognize her from ‘True Memoirs of an International Assassin,’ ‘The Music Teacher,’ ‘Christmas Bells Are Ringing,’ ‘Stalked by My Doctor: A Sleepwalker’s Nightmare,’ ‘Arctic Air,’ ‘JPod,’ ‘Sanctuary,’ and ‘Chesapeake Shores.’ Opposite her stars Heather Locklear, who portrays Jodi Hildebrandt, Ruby Franke’s marriage counselor, in ‘Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story.’
Heather is recognizable for her role as Amanda Woodward in ‘Melrose Place.’ She also features in ‘Flirting With Forty,’ ‘Once Around the Park,’ ‘The Game of Love,’ ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story,’ ‘Dynasty,’ ‘Spin City,’ and ‘Franklin & Bash.’ Besides the lead actors, the movie also features other talented actors in supporting roles, including Josh Blacker as Kevin Franke, Nolen Dubuc as Chad Franke, Savannah Miller as Shari Franke, Marc-Anthony Massiah as Braxton Young, Dani Alvarado as Darcy Bastow, Alana Hawley Purvis as Professor Olsen, and Brittany Clough as Morgan Riley, and many more.
Read More: Lifetime’s Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: Ruby Franke’s True Story, Explained
