ExclusiveJana Kramer Recalls Depicting Domestic Abuse in New Movie as a Survivor: ‘It Was Tough’

After being open about her own experience with domestic abuse, Jana Kramer explains why she wanted to star in a movie about the topic during an exclusive video interview with Life & Style.

“It was tough because it was a movie that I wanted to obviously do to be able to help other people. But there was a moment where I had to sit with my therapist and go, ‘OK, do I want these emotions to come back?’” Jana, 40, tells Life & Style about her new movie, Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story.

Jana adds that she ended up accepting the role after her therapist told her, “You’re not doing this for you. You’re doing this for everyone that needs to see this movie.’”

“That really spoke to me because it’s true, you know, when I was in my … abusive relationships, I felt so isolated. I felt like it was only me. I felt crazy,” she recalls. “There’s so many people that are unfortunately going through the same thing and I want people to know there is hope. There is help. There is a way out.”

Not only does Jana want to tell abuse victims that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but she also wants viewers to “be aware” of the early “gaslighting comments and the things that can really start to build over time in a relationship.”

Jana experienced abuse during her marriage to ex-husband Michael Gambino, whom she was married to for less than one year in 2004. In 2005, he was convicted on attempted murder charges after he subjected the “Whiskey” singer to severe domestic abuse. Michael was sentenced to serve six years in prison, and he later died in 2012.

Jana stars in the Lifetime movie as Morgan, who is physically, mentally and sexually abused by her husband, Rodney (portrayed by Austin Nichols). The pair previously worked together on One Tree Hill, and Jana tells Life & Style that she wouldn’t have trusted anyone else to play her abuser.

“From the time that I met Austin on One Tree Hill, we formed an amazing friendship together. He’s a wonderful friend, he’s an incredible actor and I’ve always felt safe in his presence, you know, in scenes and off camera,” she shares.

After adding she knew it would be “triggering” to film the abuse scenes, Jana said she “wanted to trust the person that was gonna be playing this part with me and have that safety.” Once she learned the production team offered the role to Austin, 44, Jana says she texted him separately to gauge his interest in the role.

“They were able to work out some date things and, you know, he accepted the role,” she says. “I could not have done it with anybody but him because in those moments that were so hard filming, I knew at the end that I had someone that I could trust and I could have safety with.”

Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story premieres on Lifetime Sunday, June 9, at 8 p.m. ET.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.