On Fire, out in theaters on Sept. 29, stars and is co-directed by Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie, The Twilight movies).
Facinelli plays a father caught in the thick of a wildfire alongside his pregnant wife, teenage son and sick father ( played by Lance Henriksen). The film jumps between the family’s survival story and a 911 operator taking calls from desperate, trapped people.
Facinelli didn’t use any fire in the making of the film, which meant the actors relied on their own imaginations to throw themselves into the danger and terrifying scenes surrounded by smoke and fire. Facinelli, a father of four says being a dad was all the preparation he needed to take on this role. All he had to do was imagine if a second what he would do if he and his family encountered the same tragic set of circumstances.
Peter Facinelli was allowed to promote the film despite the Screen Actors Guild ongoing strike because it was made independently of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which the union is currently picketing.
Our Bonnie Laufer spoke with Facinelli about taking on the role, directing the film and what he learned about his own survival instincts.
- Genre: Drama, Suspense
- Release Date: 9/29/2023
- Directed by: Nick Lyon, Peter Facninelli
