Riverdale and 24 star Marisol Nichols gets more fan questions about her first film than any other project she’s done. She is, after all, a Griswold.
“I didn’t think in a million years they would hire me because I’m like this little Latina kid from Chicago and the Griswolds are like this all-American family,” she laughs, remembering playing Clark Griswold’s only daughter in 1997’s Vegas Vacation. “But the fact that they changed the kids every movie worked in my favor. It was surreal.”
Fast-forward nearly 30 years and way too many other projects to note, and Nichols is channeling her darker side playing a seasoned, highly intelligent missing persons detective on the time-sensitive case of a woman in poor health who disappears in Lifetime’s intense thriller She Stole My Son’s Heart.
“When I read this script, I was like, ‘Is this a true story?’ Because in an alternate universe, I could absolutely see this happening,” she shares. “It’s really dark, and it’s not like a typical Lifetime movie at all.”
Nichols promises the film will leave audiences “100%” jaw-dropped at its conclusion, but that’s all she could share before giving away spoilers. “It’s like a very dark indie film. I have a feeling people are going to go straight to the internet to find out what this story is based on as soon as they watch it.”
Outside of acting, Nichols is passionately involved in advocating for children’s safety and seeing an end to human trafficking. Back in 2012, when her daughter was only about 4, she was haunted by headlines on what was happening to children and the lack of global awareness on trafficking, so she started getting involved (including going undercover). “The good news is that nowadays there are so many different organizations to try to help on this front,” she shares. “Call them and ask if you can help because there’s never enough money, there’s never enough volunteers.
“The No. 1 profile of kids who are trafficked in the United States are foster care kids. Good foster parents are needed,” she concludes, encouraging anyone willing to open their home to a child or reach out to local organizations to see how you can help.
She Stole My Son’s Heart, Movie Premiere, Saturday, August 8, Lifetime