Billy Zane enjoyed getting to play another scary character

Billy Zane knew he wanted to be part of the latest Lifetime movie, “Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story,” as soon as he read the script. The fact that the story of an ex-convict (Zane) unexpectedly moving into his daughter’s dorm was a cautionary tale based on a true story had him hooked.

Another factor for the made-for-cable film set to debut at 8 p.m. June 23 on Lifetime caught the Chicago native’s eye and that was what he calls “the almost absurdity of the circumstance.”

That comment is based on how the ex-con is able to win over a group of his daughter’s college friends with conversations and promises to help them with personal transformations. He does this by preying on their insecurities and fears. The students eventually uncover false memories of childhood trauma that Ray used to further alienate them from their families.

As the students continued to fall under Ray’s control, he extends his reach of emotional, financial, sexual abuse and mental manipulation.

“From a pure narrative standpoint, as a piece of entertainment, I found there was a level of finding out the why. There was a charm to this character and he had the ability to be a dynamic mix of humor and being witty,” Zane says.

“We found this counterpoint which was not only exciting to watch because it created a false sense of security then a very terrifying counterpoint. It was a very interesting character to play.”

Zane has a long career of interesting characters starting with his big break in the 1989 Australian film “Dead Calm.” His other credits include “Twin Peaks,” “Back to the Future,” “Memphis Belle,” “The Phantom” and “Titanic.”

Zane has played some scary characters over the decades, but it has been a few years since such a part had come along. That was another reason he was so willing to play Larry Ray. He found the Lifetime role to be both liberating and challenging.

The majority of the roles Zane has played have been fictional characters. “Devil on Campus” gave him the opportunity to play a role based on a real person. Ray received a 60-year prison sentence for abusing, sex trafficking and forcing a group of students from Sarah Lawrence College into manual labor.

Zane did not talk to Ray before taking on the role. He did listen to recordings of Ray and put on extra weight to better match the physical look. The primary approach Zane took to playing the role was the same as he had used in his other work. He depends heavily on his own instincts.

“You slip into it like a jacket,” Zane says. “I really examine my first impulses. It is kind of an elusive and opaque process for me.

“In doing this, I found choices that surprised me. I would check in with Liz [Elisabeth Rohm] and say, ‘What if we turned this completely on its head.’ That would often fall into a rhythm and pattern that was so surprising and engaging that when we do fall into convention, that lands in a much more effective way.”

Elisabeth Rohm – who is an executive producer and the director – was in agreement with Zane’s ideas. She attended Sarah Lawrence College before launching her acting career. She is certain that she would have been one of the students who fell under Ray’s spell had she been there at the same time.

“So, by the grace of God this didn’t happen in my younger years,” Rohm says. “I admire the school and the students so much that I wanted to make sure the kids are as they are there.

“They are smart, deep, inquisitive and complicated. The slogan for Sarah Lawrence is ‘We are different, so are you.’ In rolls this guy who is so seductive, so smart, so intelligent and has all the time in the world for them.”

Zane and Rohm worked hard to make sure that the students were not made to look like fools for allowing an outside seductor to have such a huge influence on them. The approach was to show that the students were vulnerable and heavily manipulated by a mastermind.

This is not the first Lifetime movie directed by Rohm as she helmed “Girl in the Basement” and “Switched Before Birth.” Her acting credits include “Law & Order,” “Angel,” “American Hustle” and “Jane the Virgin.”

Zane describes Rohm as being one of his favorite directors because of her acting background.

“Actors make good directors,” Zane says. “They get the process. To collaborate with her is a great gift.”

For the record, Zane has directed three films to go along with his long acting resume.

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