Portraying a mother desperate to understand and cope with her son’s mental illness, Dallas actress Cheryl Allison stars in the new film NO LETTING GO. The movie, based on a true story, made its cable on-demand debut March 30 in the United States and Canada.
NO LETTING GO aims to show how families are affected by mental illness. March 30 was World Bipolar Day, a film press release stated.
Allison, a Dallas resident and an alumna of both Skyline High School in Dallas and Texas Woman’s University in Denton, has received several awards for her role of Catherine Spencer in the feature film, including Best Leading Actress (Southampton International Film Festival in the United Kingdom) and Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film (Sydney Indie Film Festival in Australia). Her co-stars include Richard Burgi (“Desperate Housewives”), Kathy Najimy (SISTER ACT), Janet Hubert (“Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) and Alysia Reiner (“Orange is the New Black”).
Allison’s character is based on Randi Silverman, whose family struggled with the middle son’s increasing erratic behavior and emotional instability. Silverman co-wrote the screenplay and co-produced NO LETTING GO, which is an adaption of the award-winning short film ILLNESS. Allison also played the lead role in ILLNESS, which was filmed in 2013.
Based on the awards and reception of ILLNESS, funding was received to make the feature-length NO LETTING GO. The movie was filmed in 18 days in 2014 in New York.
“I realized early on that this film and my role give a voice to so many parents, particularly mothers,” Allison stated in the film’s press release.
Allison said she felt a responsibility to represent Silverman’s story in “an authentic and truthful way.”
Allison has performed in Broadway plays, regional theater and film and television for more than 20 years. She also has performed throughout North America and Japan in several Broadway tours, as well as the Kennedy Center. Locally, she is a Casa Manana favorite, having performed in six shows in the historic theater in Fort Worth.
Click here to enjoy the movie “NO LETTING GO” on demand.
