'Beware of the Midwife': Mouna Traore and Michael Xavier talk about parenthood and shooting amid a pandemic
'Beware of the Midwife' is a movie any expectant parents should probably stay away from. The chilling tale focuses on a young couple Sarah (Mouna Traore) and Kevin (Michael Xavier) who decide to hire a midwife, Rose (Raven Dauda) to give birth safely in their own home. However, what they think is a safe birth plan, ends up being their worst nightmare when Rose ends up kidnapping their newborn out of desperation to have a grandchild.
When we spoke to the stars of the film Mouna Traore and Michael Xavier, we asked them how working on a film like this affected their idea of parenthood and bringing a child into the world. Mouna Traore says, "Originally, what drew me to the role of Sarah was my own curiosity about motherhood and birth. I think the film explores a lot of the questions that many women have about both experiences and I was interested in how the character dealt with her own hopes and fears as a pregnant woman and as a new mother. Sarah is a woman with a seemingly perfect life, but she has reservations about having a hospital birth, and decides to go with a different experience by choosing to have a midwife."
We asked Michael Xavier how the midwife even manages to win over the couple's trust in the first place. Xavier who plays the nervous expectant father in the film says, "I think it’s normal for two young first-time parents to be to give the benefit of the doubt and not expect a midwife to show up with any intentions other than “I’m here to help make this process go as seamlessly as possible.” But then if that were the case we wouldn’t have much of a movie."
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Since the film revolves around the dynamic between three characters largely, how did they achieve the level of on-screen collaboration required?
For Mouna that certainly wasn't a problem because she and Raven go back a long way. Mouna says, "It was a wonderful reunion of sorts. I've worked with Michael before and Raven was actually one of my first acting instructors, so it was very much like working with old friends! There was a lot of trust and support, just because filming during a global pandemic is bizarre in itself."
Talking about the pandemic Mouna is honest about the effect it has had on her. She says, "I was really anxious and depressed for most of 2020 and I think it forced me to take my mental health more seriously. I had to get really disciplined about taking time to center myself, mediate and prioritize my mental-emotional well-being. I did really try to keep my momentum going, I just focused on keeping myself going, and putting more time and attention into my own healing."
Michael, however, says that he has been fortunate that even in spite of the pandemic he has kept busy. The actor says, "I’ve been lucky enough to say that I have been able to keep busy over the pandemic with several projects. Regardless of what’s happening around us, you’ve got to do your best to keep a strong mind, body, and spirit. Meditation helps. I’m looking forward to whatever comes my way this year.
'Beware of the Midwife' premieres on April 11 at 8 pm/7c on Lifetime.