Naman Shrestha
Based on real-life incidents, Lifetime’s ‘While She Was Sleeping’ is a mystery thriller movie that follows a small-town writer, Alyssa, as she seeks to make her mark on the world through her words. Her world turns upside down when she wakes up from a sleepwalking episode, only to find a bloodstained knife in her hands and the dead body of her best friend. With all the evidence pointing to her as the perpetrator, Alyssa must prove her innocence. What makes her task complicated is that her memory of the night of the murder is blurry. When another dead body is found, the writer doubts the loyalty and intentions of everyone around her, especially people she trusts blindly. The suspenseful tale of the Christian Sparkes directorial unfolds in a small, quaint town, with its innocent facade hiding sinister and deadly secrets.
Where Was While She Was Sleeping Filmed?
‘While She Was Sleeping’ was filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly on the island of Newfoundland. According to reports, principal photography for the thriller commenced on May 26, 2026, under the working title ‘Every Waking Murder’ and continued for more than two weeks before wrapping up in the second week of June of the same year.
Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador
All the pivotal sequences for ‘While She Was Sleeping’ were taped across the island of Newfoundland, located south of Labrador. The island is home to the capital of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador — St. John’s — which served as the primary production location of the Lifetime thriller. The city is situated on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula. During the shooting process, the cast and crew members were spotted recording key indoor and outdoor scenes in the downtown area of St. John’s, as they transformed the businesses and storefronts into film sets.
To be specific, multiple key portions were filmed around Home on Water St., a gift shop at 156 Water Street in St. John’s. The filming unit also took over an actual residential property to shoot numerous exterior and interior sequences. Moreover, from what we can tell, they set up camp in a film studio in and around St. John’s, utilizing its sound stages and amenities to tape additional indoor scenes for ‘While She Was Sleeping.’
While She Was Sleeping Cast Details
The real-life-inspired tale of murder in ‘While She Was Sleeping’ is brought to life by the impressive performances of the lead actors, Sara Canning and Justin Nurse. The former also has several producer credits to her name, such as ‘I Put a Hit on You,’ ‘Superhost,’ ‘Welcome to Nowhere,’ and ‘Kill Victoria.’ Meanwhile, Justin is a multi-talented personality with solid experience in the theatre and music industry. His theatre career began after he graduated from Sheridan College’s esteemed Music Theatre Performance program. When they are not working, both Sara and Justin love to spend time with their loved ones, preferably in the arms of nature.
Sara Canning as Alyssa
Sara Canning steps into the role of Alyssa, the small-town writer who finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation, in ‘While She Was Sleeping.’ Widely recognized for her portrayal of Jenna Sommers in ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ the talented actor also features in ‘Remedy’ as Melissa Conner, ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ as Jacquelyn, and ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ as Lake. Her other film and TV credits include ‘The Christmas Temp,’ ‘Superhost,’ ‘Love Amongst the Stars,’ ‘Christmas on Call,’ ‘Negative Capability,’ ‘Virgin River,’ ‘Crew Girl,’ ‘Nancy Drew,’ and ‘Hospital Show.’
Justin Nurse as Rob
In the Lifetime film, Justin Nurse essays the character of Rob. You might find his face familiar because he stars in several movies and TV shows, including ‘Her Husband’s Double Life’ as Detective Kyle Logan, ‘The Silent Planet’ as Young Theo, ‘Purgatory’ as Mr. Chad Davies, and ‘SurrealEstate’ as Clive Malachi. Justin also showcases his acting prowess in multiple short films, such as ‘The Tour,’ ‘The Death of Winter,’ ‘Spin,’ and ‘House, Car & Cottage.’ Other talented actors who play supporting yet important roles in ‘While She Was Sleeping’ are Nazneen Contractor as Layton, George Robertson as Pierce, Dana Puddicombe as Carla, Ruth Lawrence, Mary Walsh, Zoe Cleland, Aedon Young, and Greg Malone.
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