Naman Shrestha
With Alexandre Carrière donning the director’s hat, Lifetime’s ‘Playing With Fire’ follows a struggling married couple — Natalie Collins and Loughlin Collins — whose relationship hangs in the balance. It gets worse for them when their house catches fire and goes up in flames, destroying almost everything inside it. Fortunately, the couple is lucky enough to have come out of it alive. One of the firefighters who put the fire out is Jack, who becomes obsessed with Natalie and makes it his mission to get his feelings reciprocated somehow.
In an attempt to do so, Jack devises a plan to cut the thin thread that has been keeping their marriage afloat. As he manipulates the couple, the obsessive firefighter goes to extreme lengths to win Natalie’s love. The thriller film uses the visuals of fire against different backdrops as a symbol to represent the flame between Natalie and Loughlin and the burning passion in Jack’s heart for Natalie.
Where Was Playing With Fire Filmed?
The shooting for ‘Playing With Fire’ was reportedly carried out in Ontario, particularly in and around Ottawa. Principal photography for the Lifetime production was conducted over the course of a couple of weeks. It got underway on August 10, 2024, and got wrapped up by the end of the same month.
Ottawa, Ontario
The capital city of the nation — Ottawa — hosted the production of ‘Playing With Fire.’ Making the most of the city’s vast and versatile landscape, the production team set up camp in various streets and neighborhoods to shoot many pivotal sequences. First and foremost, the scene where Natalie and Loughlin’s apartment catches fire was possibly taped on a sound stage of one of the film studios located in and around Ottawa. Some of the indoor scenes were also seemingly lensed inside actual establishments and residential properties across the city. From the looks of it, the filming unit of ‘Playing With Fire’ also recorded a few key portions at a wooded site, capturing the dark and shadowy scenes surrounded by trees that allowed them to build more tension.
For the purpose of shooting, the production team employed multiple firetrucks to be present on set. Moreover, since Jack is a firefighter, his scenes involving the fire station were either shot at a real-life fire station or a studio. Ottawa and its surrounding areas have plenty of film studios, one of which was seemingly utilized for the production of the Lifetime film. Over the years, the capital city has served as a filming site for plenty of movies, such as ‘The Sum of All Fears,’ ‘The Blackcoat’s Daughter,’ ‘The Mouse Trap,’ ‘House at the End of the Street,’ ‘I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House,’ ‘The Perfect Marriage,’ and ‘Deadly House Call.’
Playing With Fire Cast Details
‘Playing With Fire’ is led by the compelling onscreen performances from Kirsten Comerford, Brett Geddes, and Stephen Adekolu, all of whom have plenty of experience featuring in TV films. Despite not having worked together prior to this project, the chemistry and tension between their characters seem palpable and organic.
Kirsten Comerford as Natalie Collins
Kirsten Comerford dons the garb of Natalie Collins in ‘Playing With Fire.’ Starting her career by taking up minor roles in shows like ‘Satisfaction,’ ‘Played,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ and ‘Lost Girl,’ she gradually moved up the ranks through her impressive performances and landed recurring and major roles in different kinds of projects. For instance, she portrays Elle in ‘Supernatural,’ Buxom in ‘Lucifer,’ Stella Ohanian in ‘Frankie Drake Mysteries,’ and Ulla Joyce in ‘Hudson & Rex.’ Kirsten also stars in several TV films, including ‘Christmas on the Alpaca Farm,’ ‘My Husband’s Killer Affair,’ ‘Who Killed Our Father?,’ and ‘Pocket Dial Murder.’
Brett Geddes as Loughlin Collins
‘The Boys’ fame Brett Geddes essays the role of Loughlin Collins, Natalie’s husband, in the Lifetime production. Also known for portraying John Frey in ‘The Big Cigar,’ he has been featured in numerous other shows and films, making him a recognizable face to many of you. You might have seen him in ‘Life with Boys,’ ‘Warehouse 13,’ ‘My Husband Hired a Hitman,’ ‘Abducted on Prom Night,’ ‘Fatal Family Reunion,’ and ‘Candy Cane Christmas.’
Stephen Adekolu as Jack
It is Stephen Adekolu who plays the role of Jack, the firefighter who plots against Natalie and Loughlin in the thriller. Widely recognized for his role as Robbie Alvarez in ‘Superman & Lois,’ he features in several other shows such as ‘Charmed,’ ‘Animal Control,’ ‘Fire Country,’ ‘The Night Agent,’ Snowpiercer,’ ‘Alert: Missing Persons Unit,’ and ‘The Irrational.’ His movie credits include ‘Girl in Room 13,’ ‘Rescued by Ruby,’ and ‘Secret Life of A Student.’
Apart from the above-mentioned actors, ‘Playing With Fire’ consists of various other talented actors in supporting yet important roles, including Rachel Sellan as Alison, Shannon McDonough as Mandy, Mich Ward as Mike, Shanna Armogan as Alesha, Dean Hagopian as Mr. Benson, Aury Barnett as Rick, and Deklon Roberts as Tony.
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