Naman Shrestha
With Simone Stock occupying the director’s chair, Lifetime’s ‘Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story’ is a powerful true story of surviving abuse with strength and perseverance from multiple perspectives. It focuses on three women – Ella, Veronica, and Mary Bailey, who are subjected to dire circumstances that change the entire course of their lives. Although Veronica is the one who gets involved with Willard, things in all three women’s lives turn upside down, especially when he starts becoming increasingly abusive. What complicates things further is when Veronica’s best friend Susan betrays her and gets romantically involved with Willard, bearing his child in her womb.
This makes the relationship between Veronica and Willard all the more toxic, testing the limits of all three women as well as Mary’s half-brother Sammy. Fueled by the fear of losing their lives, Ella, Veronica, and Mary conspire to kill him and get rid of him for good, putting an end to his abusive patterns. When it gets a little too much, Willard is shot dead while the identity of the killer remains a secret till the end. The usual dark undertone of Lifetime productions works well with the graphic and thematic visuals of the wrongdoings showcased throughout the plot. Besides that, the use of interesting locations in the backdrop of the crime drama film makes one question about the actual filming sites of the Lifetime production.
Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story Filming Locations
Although set in West Virginia, ‘Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story’ was filmed entirely in several areas in the province of Ontario. In particular, the cities of Ottawa and Aylmer were chosen as the shooting sites for the Lifetime movie. The production of the film commenced on April 20, 2023, and was wrapped up within a month on May 10 of the same year. Interestingly, Mary’s real-life counterpart Mary Elizabeth Bailey was actually present on set observing her life from a different lens, literally and figuratively, and described the experience as “incredible.” Now, let’s delve into where exactly the drama movie was shot!
Ottawa, Ontario
The filming of ‘Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story’ extensively took place in Ottawa, located in the southeastern portion of the province of Ontario. The capital city of the Great White North, Ottawa is one of the most prominent filming destinations across the world. Being a hotspot for filming, its locales have been featured in numerous films over the years, including ‘Bandit,’ ‘The Iron Curtain,’ ‘Awakening the Zodiac,’ and ‘The Perfect Teacher.’
Aylmer, Ontario
Apart from filming in Ottawa, the cast and crew of the Lifetime production moved to the town of Aylmer. To be specific, the filming unit set up camp in and around the residence at 16 Chemin Castelbeau in the Rivermead area. Since the property doesn’t have any immediate neighbors, it served as the perfect production location for ‘Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story.’
Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story Cast
Seasoned actress Melissa Joan Hart takes on the role of Ella, Veronica’s mother and Mary’s grandmother, in the Lifetime movie. The multi-hyphenate is widely acclaimed for her impressive portrayal of Sabrina Spellman in ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ and for reprising her role in several other projects. You may also recognize her from her work on ‘Melissa & Joey,’ ‘No Good Nick,’ ‘Clarissa Explains It All’ and ‘Moesha.’ Presley Allard steps into the titular role of Mary Bailey. The budding actress can also be seen in ‘Sorry About the Demon,’ ‘UnPerfect Christmas Wish,’ and ‘Good Sam.’
Joining Presley in the main cast is Olivia Scriven, who essays the character of Mary’s mother, Veronica. She is best known for her performance as Maya Matlin in ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ and ‘Degrassi: Next Class.’ ‘Meet the Killer Parents’ fame Connor McMahon appears as Willard Simms, Veronica’s abusive husband and Mary’s stepfather. Luca Thunberg stars as Mary’s half-brother, Sammy Bailey. The supporting cast comprises Michael Gordin Shore as Angus, Dana Fradkin as Jennifer, Pierre Simpson as Pastor McCall, Isabella Astbury as Young Mary Bailey, Laura Adamo as Cordelia, and Barbara Saxberg as Judge Bristol. It also stars JaNae Armogan, Patrick Publow, and Paulyne Wei.
Read More: Lifetime’s Would You Kill for Me’s True Story, Explained
