Shifra Zuckerman Teases Lifetime Murder Thriller ‘Her Deadly Night in Paris’
Q&A
After acting for more than a decade, Shifra Zuckerman has gotten a big break landing the lead role in the upcoming Lifetime movie Her Deadly Night in Paris. Inspired by actual events, the suspenseful drama unfolds when her character Lucy Cunningham, a foreign exchange student falls for her host family’s son Antoine (Charly Dô). The two find themselves on the run to prove Lucy’s innocence after she is framed for murder.
Hollywood heavyweights Ben Affleck, Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Swank, and Jason Momoa are among those who have been in one of the network’s films early on in their careers. This opportunity is not lost on Zuckerman, whose first notable gig came at age 11 as a background extra in the CW’s The Carrie Diaries. She has since built up a resume that includes commercials, shorts, and a featured role in Amazon’s Ghost in the Graveyard and credit on Mindy Kaling’s Sex Lives of College Girls.
Here the emerging star teases about what’s to come from her summer flick.
Take me through the audition process and what you thought of the project from reading the script.
Shifra Zuckerman: I got the script from my manager and read it within a night. I was totally captivated by the writing and the plot and Lucy Cunningham. I completely fell in love with her right away. After the audition I within a week I got a call from my manager. It was not just I booked the lead in a Lifetime film, but I was going to Paris in a month. Every person’s dream. It was ultimately my first time in Paris as well. It was just an exciting time, booking it and filming it in Europe. To find out I was one in 500 that booked that role. I worked for a lot of years and was really lucky.
How would you describe Lucy?
Lucy is truly a courageous woman. She is very wise, brave, and a hopeless romantic. I was so excited to bring her to life. Playing her was the best experience ever. You’ll see her go through character development within a very short period of time in the film. She ultimately had no choice but to in this situation. Through the hard times she goes through and the beautiful times she goes through as well. I think the audience will be able to connect with who they see in her throughout the film.
There is a lot of suspense in this one where your character is getting framed for murder. What else can you tease?
It is about proving innocence. Without spoiling too much, the couple goes on an adventure of trying to prove innocence and runs throughout Paris. That is the beautiful and terrifying part. It’s suspenseful but a very fun story to watch unfold. She falls in love with the host family’s son. She witnesses a very terrible event. It’s more about proving innocence rather than who did what. The audience can tell very quickly who was really part of this.
How was filming in Paris? Shooting over just 13 days must have been a whirlwind.
It was a complete whirlwind. It was a crazy time, but the best one I had ever had. Paris is everything one would imagine from the views to the food and the people. The atmosphere was incredible. It was a culture shock for me because I knew five words going into the country in French. I walked around with Google Translate on my phone the entire time. It was so fun and cool. Being amongst the history and the beauty of just the most romantic city in the world is indescribable.
Lifetime
Does the movie leave the story open to a sequel?
Yeah. The ending definitely leaves it open for a sequel. I have my fingers crossed and praying we could do this again.
How much of a fan of Lifetime movies were you?
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been a fan of Lifetime films. I’ve also had friends in Lifetime films which have been cool to watch and recognize their faces. Lifetime has been a part of my life for a while. My family watched since I was younger, but I got really into it in recent years.
This is a non-union project, but what are your thoughts on the SAG-AFTRA strike?
I definitely stand with my fellow artists and creators during this challenging time. We’re all standing and fighting for fairness. I’m on that side. I am praying for fairness very soon.
What’s cool about you is on top of acting you have another passion for nutrition. Do you see the two career paths intertwining?
From a young age, my parents were very much supportive of my acting but encouraged me to make myself more diverse and have more passions. Nutrition I went on to get my Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science from Rutgers in 2022. I’m currently getting a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from Rutgers University. Shifra is currently studying to get her master’s in Nutrition, Healthspan, and Longevity from the University of Southern California. I see myself as an athlete when I’m on set. It requires a lot of brain work between stunts and being able to memorize your lines and being quick and working long hours on very little sleep. That’s why it’s important to have the proper nutrition. I definitely incorporated that and how it applies to performances. I see myself in the future hopefully working with actors and hoping to better their lives off set, on set and just understanding from actor to actor what we go through and how to keep ourselves in check with nutrition.
You mentioned stunts. Did the Lifetime movie role require any?
I learned something about myself with this film. I enjoy doing stunts. Not extreme stunts, but definitely some stunts. It was really fun. I really enjoyed the action aspect of it. It really surprised me. It was a different aspect of acting.
Her Deadly Night in Paris premiere, August 19, 8/7c, Lifetime
