Cybill Shepherd and Lifetime probe 'How to Murder Your Husband'
A writer who penned an essay that detailed killing a spouse, and then actually put it into practice, is the sort of role that gets Cybill Shepherd fully engaged in acting again.
The former "Moonlighting" and "Cybill" actress returns to television in the title part of the new Lifetime movie "How to Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story," which debuts Saturday, Jan. 14 ... several months after Nancy Crampton Brophy was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2018 death of her mate Daniel (played by Steve Guttenberg), a chef in Portland, Oregon. Written and directed by Stephen Tolkin, who also made Lifetime's recent drama "House of Chains," the new film is part of the network's ongoing "Ripped From the Headlines" franchise.
In discussing the new movie, Shepherd is careful and precise to use the word "allegedly" often in regard to the murder case.
"I've been instructed to use certain words," she explains. "This was an amazing challenge, and one that I could not resist. When they sent me the first still photos to approve, the person I saw with that gray wig on was not me. I didn't kill any of those photographs, though I had the right to, but it was just another person to me."
Famous for such movies as "Three Men and a Baby" and the "Police Academy" comedies, Guttenberg concurs that in real life, Shepherd is "180 degrees away from Nancy. When I would watch her act, there were so many times when I looked in her eyes and she really was embodying this woman, who was very complicated in an allegedly dangerous way."
Saying that with Guttenberg, she "could not think of a kinder nor more wonderful person to try to murder," Shepherd notes that she is "very aware of the rise in violent crime in this country. I don't think (a movie like this) encourages that, because you see that this woman does pay the price for what she allegedly did."
The work ethic that Shepherd and Guttenberg share also facilitated the making of "How to Murder Your Husband," they both agree.
"I really enjoy making moments work and scenes work," Guttenberg reflects, "and Cybill has been in some of the greatest movies ever made ('The Last Picture Show,' 'Taxi Driver,' etc.) ... and, of course, 'Moonlighting.' I was protected by a really good actress."
Shepherd allows that she "had not worked for a couple of years, and when the possibility of doing this came along, this was (a type of role) I had never played. I'm always interested in playing something that I haven't lived, because it gives me a chance to learn something as a human being. I hope it does, anyway."