Atlanta resident Michelle Williams has thrived the past two-plus decades as a singer and Broadway star. Now she’s trying her hand as the lead in a dramatic film, Lifetime’s “Wrath,” which is part of T.D. Jakes’ Seven Deadly Sins movie franchise.
She plays Chastity Jeffries, a successful single lawyer, who meets fellow attorney Xavier Collins (Canadian actor Antonio Cupo). He appears, on the surface, perfectly compatible.
But, as in many Lifetime films, Xavier has a jealous streak. He finds out she met up with an old high school flame (played by rap star Romeo) and gets violent. She also has some daddy issues that he finds problematic. She eventually breaks up with him but then he goes full wrath/stalker mode. Chastity’s sage parents provide her guidance and, of course, since this is part of a Jakes enterprise, there is discussion of religion regarding bad behavior and forgiveness.
Executive producer Derrick Williams actually sought out Williams for the role.
“That was a blessing,” said Williams in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “When I was in school, I actually wanted to be an attorney. So now I got to play one!”
And she could relate to her character. “It’s easy to overlook red flags for the sake of love,” she said. “She’s also an overachiever trying to please her parents.”
Cupo, while playing a bad guy, was nothing but a good guy for her on set. “He was my rock,” she said. “Because this was my first movie, he helped make the process so great. I loved everything he did. I loved how he pulled some cool bits from his character.”
The toughest part for her was shedding tears in front of the camera. “I’m not a vulnerable person,” she said. “I can show anger and disappointment but not sadness.” There is a scene with her character’s father that required her to cry. She was able to do it once but then the director wanted another take and she said, “You want me to do that again?”
The word “wrath” is not a common term used in modern conversational English and Williams only uses it when she is citing scripture: “I have said, ‘Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath.’ [Ephesians 4:26]. We know that anger not tempered, anger not dealt with, can lead to a lot of loss.”
ON TV
“Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story,” 8 p.m. Saturday, April 16 on Lifetime
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