Annabeth Gish on Honoring the True Story Behind Lifetime’s ‘Gone Mom’ (VIDEO)
True-crime addicts will get their fill of fact-based drama this weekend when Annabeth Gish kicks off Lifetime’s “Summer of Secrets” with the ripped-from-the-headlines telemovie, Gone Mom.
In the tragically fact-based tale, the Haunting of Hill House actress stars as Jennifer Dulos, the Connecticut mom who famously went missing in 2019 in the midst of an acrimonious divorce from her great-on-paper husband, Fotis (Warren Christie).
Tracking their early romance, collapse, and Fotis’ arrest for her murder, the unauthorized account mixes actual evidence and publicly available information with fictionalized material to piece together portions of the investigation, including the role Fotis’ mistress Michelle Troconis may have played in her demise. Without spoiling a story that can be Googled, there are no happy endings for any of the players involved.
It’s a perfect fit for the always graceful Gish, who gets to play Jennifer across the years, going from idealistic writer to a resourceful woman who refuses to be a victim despite her husband’s abuses. We recently chatted with the Scandal alum about the role, how sociopaths prey on those they claim to love, and celebrating Pulos’ memory. “There was a very definite intention by everyone involved to really honor Jennifer,” she says. “Our goal…was to give voice to this woman’s story.”
Immediately following the film, Lifetime is set to premiere the hour-long documentary Beyond the Headlines: The Jennifer Dulos Story, as told by those closest to the victim and culminating with the police investigation, Fotis’ murder charges, and ultimate fate.
Gone Mom, Movie Premiere, Saturday, June 5, 8/7c, Lifetime
