Cynthia Preston previews Lifetime’s The Cheerleader Escort

The Cheerleader Escort premieres on Lifetime tonight, and Cynthia Preston previews the new movie and its important subject matter.

Tonight Lifetime continues its month of cheerleader-themed movies with The Cheerleader Escort, where a new cheerleader named Cassie discovers that members of her squad are moonlighting as escorts in their spare time.

When one of her fellow cheerleaders ends up dead, it’s a race against time for Cassie (played by Alexandra Beaton) to not only expose the killer, but bring to light all of the illicit activities that this secret group are a part of.

Cynthia Preston stars in The Cheerleader Escort as Cassie’s mother, and she spoke to Hidden Remote about why the film’s message is so timely, her experience on the set, and why she has enjoyed working on multiple Lifetime movies.

Learn more about this film in our interview with Cynthia Preston below, then watch the premiere of The Cheerleader Escort tonight at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

Hidden Remote: What stood out to you about The Cheerleader Escort?

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Cynthia Preston: The message of the movie. It highlights the scenario of wealthy men preying on young women. It’s timely because it’s the message of Time’s Up and Me Too—that it’s not okay and we’re finally talking about it. I didn’t think it was going to happen in my lifetime. I’m happy that Pierre David and his team are taking on this subject matter.

How does your character fit into the film?

My character is the mother of Alexandra Beaton’s character. We started building our relationship as soon as I was cast. We spoke on the phone and texted and sent each other pictures—all in character as mother and daughter. She’d text me pictures from Coachella and I’d text, “Have fun, Honey! Stay safe!” and she’d say, “Okay Mom!” We bonded really quickly. I absolutely love her.

You’ve appeared in several Lifetime movies. What is it about these films or this network that keeps you interested?

I have been very fortunate to do a lot of Lifetime movies with Pierre David. We first worked together in 1987 on a movie called PIN, which was not a Lifetime movie, it was a feature. It was a lovely production, a psychological thriller.

Then Pierre started making Lifetime movies, and once you’re in his stable it’s kind of like the old Hollywood system. Sometimes I’m the lead. Sometimes I’m the best friend. I’ve even done two movies for Pierre where I popped in for one scene. I like being part of his movie family, coming back and working with Pierre and a lot of the same crew members. It’s great.

What stood out to you about working on The Cheerleader Escort with this cast and crew?

I cannot sing their praises enough. The vibe on set always starts at the top and our director, Alexander Carriere, was always lovely and set a great tone. Alexandra, who plays my daughter, is fabulous. I want to write something and put her in it so I can work with her again.

So you have other parts of your career outside of acting?

I’ve written a feature film and I’ve directed a few shorts, and I started producing a few years ago. I shopped a book by Delaine Moore around to producers I’d worked with on both sides of the border and Pierre was the producer who picked up the option, and we made it into a Lifetime movie. I’m working on producing another project with Delaine right now.

I’m also working with writer/director Cameron Patterson. He is a prolific writer and I am focusing on producing five of his scripts. I’m also working on getting the rights to a book series.

Is there another role that you get recognized for outside of the Lifetime realm? Or another one you love that you’d want viewers to check out after The Cheerleader Escort?

That would have to be Whale Music. It was the opening film of the Toronto International Film Festival that year, and it was nominated for Best Picture in Canada. My co-star, Maury Chaykin, won Best Actor for the film. That movie brought me a lot of attention and got me U.S. representation with an agency in Los Angeles.

Whale Music was a game-changer for me, and the funny thing is that I kept turning it down. I’d just shot a pilot for a sitcom in L.A. and was looking forward to doing that. The sitcom kept renewing their option and extending the time before it went into production.

I kept getting calls from Whale Music’s casting director, John Buchan, telling me about their lasted offer, but I was sticking with the sitcom. Then Maury called me himself and talked me into it. It’s a good thing I finally listened, because it was a wonderful experience led by our director Richard Lewis, who is an executive producer/director on Westworld now.

What comes next for Cynthia Preston?

I just finished shooting another movie here in Canada. And I’ve built a sound booth in my basement because I want to do audiobook narration—well, Shawn, my love, built the booth [and] I helped. He’s an IT guy, so he’ll do the technical side of it. I did a cartoon years ago, The Legend of Zelda, and I’ve done a lot of voice commercials. I love doing voice work and I want to do more of it.

What’s your favorite Lifetime movie that you’ve appeared in?

That’s a hard one; they are all so much fun. I’ll say A Woman’s Rage. That was particularly delicious.

The Cheerleader Escort airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT tonight on Lifetime. For more on Lifetime movies and series, check out the Lifetime category at Hidden Remote.