Michael Ealy, Hilary Swank lead in steamy new Deon Taylor thriller ‘Fatale’

The all-star cast is dishing on the true meaning of 'the bad guy' in an exclusive interview with theGrio

Jan 8, 2021

Hollywood’s newest thriller, Fatale, tells the story of what you don’t want or expect to happen when you return from Las Vegas. The film follows successful sports agent Derrick Tyler, played by Michael Ealy, as he tries to put the pieces of his life back together after a one-night stand gone extremely wrong with Detective Valerie Quinlan (Hilary Swank).

When watching the film, audiences may be surprised at the ending, which prompts questions like “Who is the film’s actual ‘bad guy?'” theGrio spoke exclusively with the cast to discuss the movie’s big baddie, underlying messages and even some of the lingering trauma.

Ealy was left with a similar question while filming the thriller: “What really I think the film provokes is what is a good guy? Right. You know, Derek is a bit of an anti-hero. He’s a bit of a flawed hero.”

“I personally feel like I can identify with flawed heroes,” the actor revealed when asked what he would label his role.

Both Ealy and Swank shared that the film really took the time to dive deep into people flaws and how it shapes who they are.

“It’s like the idea of playing a human that’s flawed is, I think, what we can all relate to,” Swank explained. “We’re all flawed. We all make mistakes. It just depends on how big of a mistake you make right. But she makes a big mistake. She tries to rectify it. She works really hard to have a second chance and she doesn’t get it and she just spirals down, you know. You can understand why someone would do that.”

Both lead Fatale actors argue that because of their characters flaws, viewers will not completely see them in a negative light.

Mike Colter also stars in the film and was initially stumped by the “bad guy” question, but later shared later that he could be possibly be the villain.

“It’s a question. Who was the [bad guy]? I don’t know. I don’t know. But I think I think he could be one of them,” Colter explained.

Ealy also revealed that the film challenged him as an actor and he faced trauma playing his character: “There were emotional depths that I wasn’t prepared for that, in the moment, it truly jacked me up in a way that hasn’t happened yet on screen until now.”

Fatale takes viewers on a series of twists and turns with multiple underlying message, but Swank kept it brief by telling viewers to simply “watch your back.”

Fatale is currently out in theaters and will be released on Video On Demand on Jan. 9. To watch exclusive interviews from the film, check out youtube.com/thegrio.

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