Photo credit: Scott Everett White(LOS ANGELES) — Michael Ealy and Hilary Swank say they both took on characters that pushed their limits as actors in the Deon Taylor-directed film, Fatale.

In the new thriller, Ealy plays Derrick Tyler, a sports agent who becomes the target of a troubled police detective, played by Swank. Ealy tells ABC Audio that he and Swank both brought their A-game to the film.

“It just felt more authentic in that way… like we kind of raised the bar a little bit with Fatale,” he says. “And I was very, very proud to be a part of this.”

Swank agrees, nothing that although she starred in previous thrillers, she’s never done one like this before.

“[My character] was complex and she’s so multi-faceted and fascinating and I just thought, breaking this down and figuring this out would be really fun,” she says.

However, even though their “authentic” and “fascinating” characters were the main draw, Swank and Ealy acknowledge that Taylor’s enthusiasm for the project was the biggest selling point.

“But first and foremost, really Deon — he’s a tour de force,” Swank beams.

Ealy, who previously worked with Taylor on his 2019 thriller The Intruder, concurs, adding he found this film to be “a graduation” for him and Deon.

“This was a different kind of thriller,” he explains. “The Intruder was kind of a popcorn movie. It’s fun. It was entertaining…PG 13. And Fatale feels more like an adult rated R, grown folks movie, with grown folks issues. It’s a noir thriller that we haven’t done before… [and] seen in recent years.”

Fatale, also starring Mike Coulter, is now playing in select theaters.

By Candice Williams
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