EXCLUSIVE: Brant Daugherty Previews His New Film 'Ungodly Acts'

Brant Daugherty stars in the all-new movie Ungodly Acts, premiering Saturday, September 19 at 8 p.m ET/PT on Lifetime. Photo by Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2015

Ohio native Brant Daugherty went to Columbia College in Chicago and earned a bachelor’s degree in film and video production. He is perhaps best known for his role as Noel Kahn on Pretty Little Liars, or his memorable run on Dancing with the Stars opposite Peta Murgatroyd. His other credits include Army Wives, Days of our Lives, The Starving Games and Anger Management.

On Saturday, September 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, he stars with Megan Park in the Lifetime Original Movie Ungodly Acts. When the wife of religious cult leader Daniel is found hanging from a swing set, her death is initially ruled as a suicide. But when one of the parishioners of the church comes forward with interesting details about her death, Daniel is suspected of foul play and investigators begin to uncover what may have happened behind the closed doors of their marriage. The movie is inspired by true events.

Serial Scoop spoke with Daugherty to discuss his career and to find out more about the film. Read our exclusive interview below:

Photo by Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2015

SERIAL SCOOP: Your movie Ungodly Acts premieres tonight on Lifetime. It's inspired by real events. You play Daniel. What kind of research did you do for the role?
BRANT DAUGHERTY: This is the most research I have ever had to do for any role in my life. I am very much a polar opposite of Daniel. So there wasn’t a whole lot I could draw from, from my own life.  I started by attending church, the same type of church we talk about in the movie. It was a very eye opening experience. I’m not a normal church goer so suddenly I had people speaking in tongues over me doing all these ritualistic things I wasn’t familiar with. So I did a lot of research into that. I tore through the script and I found Bible verses that support Daniel’s point of view at each part of the story. I really wanted everything he did to have a base. I wanted to be able to follow the bread crumbs back to all of the ideas he had; the origination of them.

SERIAL SCOOP: I have to say I found myself feeling sympathy for him. I found myself feeling sorry for him, and then I was like, “Wait a minute!”
BRANT DAUGHERTY: He's earned your empathy in no way. Honestly though, when I would get off of set and I was out of character, I felt bad for the guy too. I mean what you have is a man who has constructed this life around him that doesn’t add up to what he feels inside. There’s all of this pressure from God, from the church he attends, from his family and his friends, from his religious group, and all of this pressure to be this thing that he isn’t. And he is waiting for God to deliver him and it just doesn’t happen. That’s heartbreaking to me.

Photo by Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2015

SERIAL SCOOP: It is. How do you think viewers will respond to Ungodly Acts?
BRANT DAUGHERTY: My honest goal is to open up a dialogue with this. I think it’s a really interesting look at how such an amazing thing for so many people can get twisted in a way and sent to such extremes that people end up killing themselves or people end up murdered. I would like people to think about their actions and think about the way Daniel’s choices ripple out in the community. These things happen constantly in our daily lives. Especially right now when you look at this whole situation with the separation with church and state in Kentucky and gay marriage. The choices we make impact so many people and that’s what happened with Daniel in a not so very great way.

SERIAL SCOOP: You were on Days of our Lives a couple of years ago as Brian. Do you know that fans still talk about your time there? They think that Brian was the right man for Sonny. Would you ever go back to Days?
BRANT DAUGHERTY: It’s not something I’ve really thought about. I would be absolutely open to it. I had a great time on Days of our Lives, especially working with Freddie [Smith] and Chandler [Massey]. They are such incredible actors, and the speed they do that in is insane. We had a great time together. We shot four whole episodes of Sonny and me in one afternoon. It was the craziest day of my life. So you watch four episodes of my fourteen episode run all in one afternoon. [Laughs]

SERIAL SCOOP: What is next for Brant Daugherty? Fans want to know.
BRANT DAUGHERTY: What is next for Brant? I actually have a couple of TV movies airing this year I believe. I’ve got one coming up called the Suicide Note. I’m not sure where we can find that yet, but I will be on Twitter and Facebook as soon as I find out. And I have a Christmas movie called Elevated by Love on ION this winter.

SERIAL SCOOP: Anything else you want to share?
BRANT DAUGHERTY: I just really hope everybody loves the movie. It was a roller coaster to make. It almost didn’t get made at one point. And they had me sweating for probably six or seven months on whether it was going to happen or not. But we finally made it. They kept me on as Daniel, which is such an amazing and incredible character. And I just really hope everybody enjoys it. It’s a movie that I’m very proud of.

SERIAL SCOOP: You were very good. There were times that Daniel scared me. You were good and scary!
BRANT DAUGHERTY: Our makeup artist Pamela wouldn’t let me be in character in her chair. She said it freaked her out too much. [Laughs]

EDITOR'S NOTE: Watch a sneak peek of Ungodly Acts below, and be sure to tune in tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.



Michael Goldberg is a writer and producer in New York City. He hosts the entertainment program Serial Scoop Now, and previously hosted We Love Soaps TV. He recently made his acting debut in The Dreamers.