“There’s Suspense All Over This Movie”: Christina Milian Teases Lifetime Thriller He Couldn’t Let Go

Christina Milian is taking on Lifetime, and it’s a match made in heaven.

She stars in He Couldn’t Let Go, a film that absolutely embodies “thriller” and will leave you on the edge of your seat with its suspense.

And we were fortunate enough to catch up with the gorgeous, generous star to tease her movie, what makes Mariana such a force, and why you absolutely must tune in to this one. Check it out!

I loved watching He Couldn’t Let Go. It was so much fun, and I’m a sucker for thrillers. What attracted you to this script?

I actually helped develop this whole script. This was actually a short film, and I was able to get my hands on it with my team at Neon Kite. We developed it to become an actual film, which is really cool.

It was something I already liked. I was like, “This is intense, and I can imagine what this could be.” I loved the storyline and the whole story about Mariana and this crazy, terrifying night she experiences. It has such a nice build to it.

So what initially drew me to it was the short film itself. Then it becoming what it became was exciting because it’s something we actually developed with the writer, the director, and my team.

We went to Duluth to film it, and luckily, we’ve been able to team up with Lifetime to show it to the world. I’m really excited. This is a lot of fun.

One of the things I loved most is that it primarily takes place in one location, which really adds to the tension and suspense. Is working almost entirely in one location more challenging, or does it actually make things easier?

I actually think it makes it easier because the suspense feels more real. You’ve just moved into this new house, everything takes place there, and something that starts off so nice — you’re in your kitchen hosting — can turn so dark.

In your own home, you kind of have no way out. I think the suspense in that is even scarier than being in several locations. She’s almost a hostage inside her own home.

It’s also a new home for her. It’s not like she has everything within her reach that she’s used to. She’s still discovering the house herself, so being in this intense situation is pretty crazy.

As a producer, of course, it’s great to say, “We’re going to do this all in one location.” But as an actor playing Mariana, I think it just makes it creepier.

It really does. The jump scares, the suspense — it all builds so well.

We get a lot of cultural elements woven throughout the film that I imagine are very intentional. The Santería references, the salsa — I loved all of it. Those details told us so much about who Mariana is.

Thank you! I think it’s important to tell more stories that show us in a different light and show some of the culture of who she is.

We don’t meet Mariana’s parents, but you still get to know who she is. There’s so much more to us than telling a basic, cookie-cutter story where it’s just, “Here’s this girl.” No, there’s so much more to her.

We know about her relationship with her father. We know she’s FBI. We know she can read body language. Those are all really important things about her.

But she’s also Cuban, like me. Showing that fiery, spicy side of her was important because that spice becomes part of what develops throughout the film. It’s what helps her step up when she has to protect herself.

Those are some of the parts we talked about in development that we made sure to include in the film as well.

Mariana is incredibly intuitive and intelligent. Her trauma-informed hypervigilance almost becomes her superpower through her ability to read body language. But she’s also very vulnerable.

I think there’s an emotion about her. It’s important to show that contrast.

How did you find the right balance between showing her strength and her vulnerability?

I think balance is important for every person in life. With the good comes the bad, and that’s what makes us stronger. It makes us wiser. I think that’s probably what makes Mariana so good at what she does.

It’s her life experiences. It’s the not knowing, but taking what she does know and using what she can to survive, to strike when she needs to, and to piece the puzzle together.

I think, with her character, she’s realizing throughout the film that this other character knows her so well. But how?

That’s something you actually have to put yourself in her shoes and think about. You’re like, ‘Wow, I actually share a lot about my life via social media.’ Somebody could actually look me up and know a lot more about me than I’d expect.

To me, those are the vulnerable parts. It’s the unexpected innocence of just being yourself. Those are the things that allow one person into your home.

So that’s where you have to be vulnerable because it’s scary. It’s a really scary feeling. She’s realizing how intense everything is becoming and the fear of what could possibly happen to her.

Those are the moments where you have to let go, put yourself in her shoes, and think, ‘Wow, this would be scary.

You and Steven Strait had such fantastic chemistry. Watching the tension build between your characters was riveting. Was that chemistry natural, or was it something you had to work on together?

And are the more intense scenes easier to film with him, or the fun, dancing salsa-together, intimate ones?

[Laughs] Thank God Steven is a fantastic actor. He’s a great actor to work with.

Sitting in a room with him and going through the scenes, he’s got a great charm about him. Then, when he has to turn dark, even in real life, he handles it with great care. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Just go for it!’ [Laughs]

But he’s such a good-hearted person. Even though he’s playing a role that can be very dark, it’s more about the psychology of the character he used for the role, which became scary for Mariana.

We had a great time, honestly. We had instant chemistry, and you just never know, especially in a situation like this, what you’re going to get.

I’ve been very lucky. I’ve always had really good chemistry with a lot of the actors I’ve worked with. Everybody I’ve ever played with, I’ve always had great chemistry with.

But since it’s my first thriller, I didn’t know what to expect. I think the intensity of the roles and everything that happens in this film plays out so well because it doesn’t just happen where everything is nice, nice, nice.

I think she’s always on edge from the beginning of the movie. She’s not just throwing out her trust. She’s like, ‘There’s a guy in my house.’ I’ve already experienced this intense situation in the beginning with my co-worker. I’m afraid he’s after me.

You know when your ears are up? When you feel like something scary is happening, or you get that feeling on the back of your neck? I feel like she’s got that the whole time.

And then, when she has those moments where the trust is starting to settle, and she’s thinking, ‘Okay…’ something happens.

It’s an awakening moment for her.

I mean, it’s pretty easy to play that out when it’s written so well. It’s written that way. There’s so much suspense and so much mystery that it’s kind of fun to watch it unfold.

I definitely had my popcorn ready with this one. It’s the very definition of a popcorn thriller.

Since this is your first thriller, what was the most challenging part of taking on something so different, and what ended up being the most rewarding part?

The most rewarding part was actually doing it and feeling so intense in those moments. The emotions were so natural because I really just felt like I was set apart from myself, and I was Mariana.

It was very rewarding. It was a crazy situation because I was not myself during those moments. That’s what you dream of as an actor.

I’ll tell you what was challenging. We were in Duluth. I want you to understand Duluth… let’s say it was freezing. Freezing. Emphasis on freezing.

There is a scene where I’m running for my life, and we shot that scene maybe at two or three o’clock in the morning. It was freezing outside.

I have no shoes on, and I’m wearing just a T-shirt and a very light sweater. Let’s just say it was cold. So cold.

I was excited to run. I was excited to run barefoot in that cold because that’s what kept me warm. I was freezing. I was frozen. I could not wait for that scene to end.

I was happy about doing it, and it played for the role very well, but I was so cold I could barely speak.

What’s the one thing you’re most excited for audiences to experience when they watch this movie?

You definitely have to watch it with your friends, and you’ve got to talk at the screen.

You’re going to be thoroughly entertained, and you’ve just got to get ready for surprises. I love the element of surprise, and this movie delivers all the surprises.

And I want them to cheer for Mariana. I can’t wait for them to be cheering for Mariana to get to the end… If she makes it there. Let’s see if she makes it there.

Finally, if you had to tease the movie in just three words, what would they be?

Intense. Thrilling. Suspenseful. There’s suspense all over this movie!

He Couldn’t Let Go premieres Saturday, July 11 at 8/7c on Lifetime.

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