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Jessica Morris On Starring in Her New Film Poolboy Nightmare

September 22, 2020 | Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz

The 411 Interview: Jessica Morris

Jessica Morris is an actor, writer, producer, and director who has been working in show business since the 1990’s, working extensively in both movies and television. Morris’s movie appearances include Reel Evil, Haunting of the Innocent, Delivering Christmas, and Art of the Dead, and her TV appearances include Ladies of the Lake, Party of Five, Beacon Hill, and a lengthy run on the soap opera One Life to Live. Morris’s latest movie is the Lifetime thriller Poolboy Nightmare, which is now available on Amazon Prime (check it out here). In this interview, Morris talks with this writer about making Poolboy Nightmare, working with the director and the cast and more.

Bryan Kristopowitz: How did you get involved with Poolboy Nightmare?

Jessica Morris: Rolfe Kanefsky brought me in for it. We have worked together before and have a mutual respect and a great working relationship.

BK: How did you approach your character “Gale”?

JM: I thought about her strengths, weaknesses & challenges and how I could personally relate.

BK: What was it like working with director Rolfe Kanefsky?

JM: He challenges me to give my best performance and is also open to my ideas, which is nice.

BK: What was it like working with Tanner Zagarino, who plays Adam?

JM: He was really entertaining. Just as charming as his character, but without all of the crazy. And he was very dedicated to the work.

BK: What was it like working with Ellie Darcey-Alden, who plays Becca? Was it hard to establish that sort of adversarial mother/daughter relationship?

JM: I was really impressed with the emotional strength that she brought to her character. It gave me something to push back up against. But I could also see myself in her and that allowed me to form a bond.

BK: What was the hardest scene for you, as an actor, in Poolboy Nightmare? The easiest?

JM: The scene with Adam, when we are dancing, was a bit tricky because my character was terrified but also had to go along with his charade to find out where he had taken her daughter.

BK: Your Poolboy Nightmare character Gale talks a little about this in the movie, but why do you think there’s a kind of social taboo concerning older women dating younger men where there doesn’t seem to be as big of a taboo when it comes to older men dating younger women?

JM: I honestly don’t think there is as much of one anymore. At least not in my circles.

BK: How is making something like Poolboy Nightmare different from making something like Art of the Dead, a wonderful horror flick you make with Rolfe Kanefsky that came out in 2019? How is it the same?

JM: Just a lot less blood, really.

BK: You’ve made a number of TV movies in your career in a number of genres. Do you have a preference for any specific genre? Is it more fun to make a thriller or a Christmas movie?

JM: It’s nice to switch it up and do both.

BK: Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?

JM: The Wrong Fiancé is coming soon. Also, I’m in in the midst of writing two TV movie scripts that will shoot back to back in Taiwan.

BK: What do you hope audiences get out of Poolboy Nightmare?

JM: I hope that they can escape for a while, get swept up in the story and have a good time watching it.

BK: Would you be interested in appearing in a Poolboy Nightmare 2?

JM: Of course! Adam better not come near our pool again, though, or he’s definitely getting electrocuted this time. Haha!

BK: Would you rather have a hot tub or a pool?

JM: Hot tub all the way. I love heat!

BK: After making Poolboy Nightmare, are you reasonably confident now that you could, if you had to, beat someone up with a pool skimmer net in real life?

JM: I have zero doubts in my ability to defend myself when necessary, before or after my experience with the pool skimmer.