For Mena Suvari, her latest role as an abusive mother in the Lifetime movie, House of Chains, was anything but easy.
ET's Lauren Zima spoke to the new mom about the challenges of playing the part and how she drew on her own past experiences while making the film.
It was very, very intense, and I felt like I needed to decompress for at least two hours every night.
I have played a parental figure before I became a mother in my own life, and it's very different," she explained.
I feel like you're kind of on the other side, and it was very heart-wrenching for me. It was very challenging.
While the role was taxing for Suvari, what drew her to the project was how complex it was and how layered her character, Laura, was.