Karrueche Tran is Lifetime‘s latest television movie star, leading a new film, Searching for a Serial Killer: The Regina Smith Story, which is inspired by true events.
As the logline reads, film centers on “a single mother determined to provide a safer world for her daughter, Regina joins the Dallas Police Department. As a rookie, Regina (Tran) and her partner Eddie (Blair Penner) stumble upon the first victim of what would be many murders of female prostitutes by the notorious serial killer, Charles Albright (Ted Cole) whom the media dubbed “The Eyeball Killer,” because he surgically removed the eyes of his victims. Despite only being months into the job and a woman in a profession dominated by men, Regina risks everything to get involved in the case. She discovers crucial evidence missed by FBI and city homicide detectives that lands her on the doorstep of a satanic killer.”
Tran recently spoke with Blavity’s Shadow and Act about the physical and mental space she had to get in for this role, upcoming projects and more.
This story is inspired by true events. Were you familiar with the original story?
I had no idea about the eyeball killer in Texas. So it was all very fresh and new for me.
Going into it, once you got the script, what type of preparation did you do? And were you intimidated to take on a project like this with such dark elements?
Not really. It was a role that I had never played before. I never played a cop. So I thought that was very cool to be able to play a cop. I love thrillers. I love scary movies. So I was kind of drawn to the suspense of it and also it’s such a heroic and beautiful and layered story that I was like, ‘Absolutely, this is it.’
And it was also important for me to connect with Regina. She is still thriving and still alive. We did connect, which was really beautiful and awesome. I did my research on her with what I could find on the internet, but just hearing from her directly and speaking with her directly, and hearing some stories and whatnot was really cool.
Talk to us about the time that you spent with Regina. How much time did you get with her? And if you’re able to, share a little bit about what she gave you to really dig into the character.
We didn’t have a ton of time because we started shooting right away. We spent a couple of hours on the phone on Zoom with her and her daughter and we exchanged information.
So throughout shooting, I would ask her certain questions if I was confused about something. I really wanted to tap into Regina’s world. I asked her what her favorite music was and her favorite artists and she actually sent me a playlist that I listened to every morning and every day on set.
What was on the playlist?
It was Prince and Tina Marie. Sade was on there. She had Kendrick Lamar on there. I think it was Al Green was on there. I think she had a song with Snoop Dogg on there. It was actually interesting to see her taste in music. It really helped me kind of tap into her world and to just bring her essence to the set.
You definitely looked the part. Talk to us a little bit about the physical transformation that you went into for this role.
There were certain things we did to make sure things seemed as real as possible. I met with one of my best friends– her cousin is a cop, and so I met with him and just asked him random questions, such as how to hold my gun properly. Regina was a real-life cop and went through training in the academy. So I wanted to make sure that I kind of knew all the correct and right things.
You’ve been on your acting journey for some time now. What other projects do you have coming up?
I’m currently on Bel-Air, and I hink we’re coming back for another season. Don’t quote me on that…but I’m praying. I also just recently got on a series that’s been on for a while. I can’t say what it is because they haven’t announced it yet, but it’s a really big show, a really big Black show, and I was so excited to be a part of the cast. And so you’ll see me next season.
Now, as you mentioned, this was a role that you hadn’t done before. This was new territory for you. You have done some pretty eclectic work in your acting career. What is your dream role?
I always talk about this, but I want to play a role like Charlize Theron did in Monster, where it’s less about her appearance and her face and how she look, and it’s not about her beauty. And in that movie, she just looked so different and it was just so raw and gritty. You could really see her talents shine through. So that’s the role that I wanna do, and also I wanna do something action-packed. I wanna do like something like Colombiana that Zoe Saldaña was in where I’m kind of kicking butt.
And what are you doing to maintain your craft?
I’ve been staying in acting classes. I haven’t gone in a little while over the past like, well, two months because right before I had booked this lifetime role. I got back into my acting classes just to kind of keep that pencil sharp and just the momentum of it because things had slowed down with the writer’s strike and everything. But now I am back. I need to just keep that flow and that energy up. And honestly, ever since then, a lot of these roles and stuff have picked up. So I’m a firm believer in creating your world and working hard. And once I’m done and once I have a break, I’m going to continue more on a consistent level.
You also have done a lot of influencing and fashion. Yu’ve done a few collabs with different clothing, makeup and jewelry brands. How are you looking to expand that?
There’s always room for opportunities and I’m lucky enough to sit in a pocket where I’m able to do these collabs with different brands. I’m actually working on something related to skin care and wellness related to myself that will be released soon. And I’m just growing and evolving.
The post Karrueche Tran On Her Transformation For Lifetime’s ‘Searching For A Serial Killer: The Regina Smith Story’ appeared first on Blavity.
