“The story of Ashley is honestly every mother’s worst nightmare,” Garth, the mother of three daughters, told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “Ashley was a good girl, doing her best to navigate growing up, and got involved with the wrong guy. Learning of this made me even more cautious and more communicative with my own girls.” It was 2006 when Ashley was found in the woods. She had been left for dead 30 hours prior to the police finding her. She was clinging to life and after being rushed to the hospital, she survived, but her injuries were so severe that she had to re-learn how to walk and talk, and she had no memory of who or what had taken place. Left for Dead follows Ashley’s struggles as she tries to get some semblance of her life before the attack back, and Garth has nothing but praise for O’Driscoll, who took on the challenging role. “This was a very important piece of casting; the movie really rides on this performance,” Garth added. “I was so relieved the moment I met Anwen, and I knew instantly she had the emotional depth to portray this character and the emotional journey of her recovery. She worked hard and I think really delivered.” Garth also talks about why Michelle considered herself partially responsible for her daughter’s attack, addresses victim blaming, and the satisfaction of taking on a role she was able to sink her teeth into. First, did you get an opportunity to talk to the real-life Michelle and get any insight into what she went through, or was it all in the script? Meeting the real Michelle wasn’t an option for me. The producers had met with Ashley and felt it best to go this route. I wanted to deep dive into the actual person and really portray her as accurately as possible but had to find a sort of middle ground with realism and movie making and the network’s wishes. I really went off the script and just immersed myself in this awful nightmare that this woman had to experience. It seems as if Michelle considered herself partially responsible because she didn’t pay close enough attention to what was going on in Ashley’s life. What do you think? I think that’s a natural reaction from any mother when one of their children suffers in any way. I know I would automatically try to assume the blame in an attempt to lessen the pain for my kid but the truth in this situation (or this movie I should say) was that Ashley was spreading her wings and in doing that she needed space from her mother. As a mom, you have to honor that and let them experience life, while still watching out for them the best you can. Unfortunately, Michelle wasn’t kept in the loop with what her daughter was going through and felt almost like an outsider at times. It’s all very relatable as a mother. Also, the victim blaming. Would you agree that the fact that Sam was an attractive man and came from a wealthy family made people look at him differently than someone who might be less attractive? One hundred percent. Isn’t that sadly one of the biggest problems in our society?! And to have a teenage girl go through something like this and then be blamed or have her story not believed was a huge part of this tragedy. This is based on a true story. Why do you think we are so attracted to these stories? And are you a true crime buff? Do you watch? True crimes are weirdly so compelling. I watch! And I think to myself, “I can’t believe this happened. This feels like a movie,” but sadly the stories are so real and gut wrenching I feel such empathy and sadness for the victims and their families. I guess we as an audience want to feel that for other people, especially when we see bad things happening to seemingly innocent people. You’ve done a lot of comedy and, yes there was a lot of drama on 90210, but how great was it to sink your teeth into a strictly dramatic role? I joke when I say this, but it is also less time in the makeup chair. I’d be hard pressed to pick drama or comedy as my favorite. I truly love playing both kinds of characters but there’s something about that “sinking your teeth into a role” that is so rewarding somehow. To be able to evoke such strong, real feelings and tell a story through the eyes of someone else is why I do what I do. It keeps me coming back. And yes, not having (as much) pressure put on my appearance is always welcomed. When I think about how many hours of my life I’ve spent getting made up over all the years, well that’s a lot! Just think of what I could have done with all that time. You have been taking on producing projects, so what was it like to go back and only have to focus on acting? And would you now like to produce a movie for Lifetime? Lifetime makes the best movies. Hands down. You turn them on, and you just can’t stop watching. I loved getting the opportunity to work with them again. Albeit, just as an actress but I honestly don’t ever take off my producing hat when I’m working. I’m always considering every aspect of the process. I have so much respect for all the people who work so hard, and all that goes into making a movie. And yes, I have some projects I think Lifetime would love. I’m sure we will be working together again very soon! Left For Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story premieres Saturday, June 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
