Jenna Dewan (right), in Lifetime’s new movie Let’s Get Physical, as a small-town fitness instructor arrested for prostitution. Photo credit: Lifetime
If real-life events had the typical elements of a Lifetime TV movie, it was the case with Alexis Wright.
Alexis Wright (left) and actress Jenna Dewan (a character loosely based on Wright, Sadie Smith).
Wright was indicted in October 2012 for running a prostitution business at a Zumba fitness studio in the beautiful small town of Kennebunk. Before she was sentenced to her death in May 2013, her story and trial garnered worldwide media attention and sparked a gossip frenzy. Vanity Fair magazine’s “Whispering Town” story portrayed Kennebunk as a modern-day Peyton Her Place.
Ten years later, neither Main nor Wright are credited, but Wright’s story has indeed become a Lifetime movie.
The film is called ‘Let’s Get Physical’, stars Jenna Dewan, and is part of Lifetime’s ‘Ripped from the Headlines’ film series. This is the story of a fictitious small-town fitness her studio owner whose prostitution ring troubles the locals. The 86-minute film premiered on the Lifetime network on October 15th and began streaming on Lifetime’s website on January 1st.
Wright and Kennebunk aren’t specifically named in the film, but many of the similarities are clear to Mayners, who followed the case a decade ago. Although there is an introduction at the beginning of the film that says it was “inspired by real events”, the characters and events depicted in the film are fictional.
A Lifetime spokesperson said the film was “loosely inspired” rather than based on Wright’s story, and that the writers investigated the case and consulted court records. told the Press Herald Friday that she wasn’t involved in the film and didn’t see it.
A description of the film on the Lifetime website confirms that the film has all the major elements of the Kennebunk case.
“Inspired by real events, Let’s Get Physical tells the story of fitness instructor Sadie, who taught soccer moms fitness and dancing during the day, but turned into a sophisticated prostitution ring at night. A man from the community, who led a raid on her studio, leading to Sadie’s indictment, and a small town There was an uproar at , and everyone asked who exactly was on the customer list.”
A scene from the new Lifetime movie Let’s Get Physical, which has a plot very similar to the real-life Zumba prostitution case that happened in Kennebunk ten years ago. Photo credit: Lifetime
In “Let’s Get Physical,” the town is called Luton, New Hampshire, the fitness instructor is named Sadie Smith, and she teaches pole dancing instead of Zumba. The studio is called Dazzle & Spin rather than her Pura Vida, which is the name of Wright’s studio. But other than that, the plot fits the Kennebunk case, including the frenzy caused by the existence of the client list and the unwanted attention it brought to town.
When the Press Herald asked about the film this week, Wright declined to speak at length, but texted a brief statement. This is not a project that I have been approached to participate in, nor has anyone asked for my permission. As far as I know, there was no accurate depiction of my story anywhere. ”
Investigations and indictments against Wright and her business partner Mark Strong dominated the local news in 2012-2013. Wright, who was 30 at the time of her sentencing, told the judge she was being manipulated by Strong, 57.
Executive producers on the film include Kelly Ripa, host of the syndicated TV morning show Live with Kelly and Ryan, and her husband Mark Consuelos. A regular on the ABC drama ‘The Rookie’ and working with multiple pop music stars as a dancer, Dewan plays a dance and fitness instructor and is also executive producer for him.
According to Lifetime, the film was shot outside of Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver has become known as ‘Hollywood North’ because of the many movies and TV shows that have been produced there. The appearance of the small town featured in the film, including its quaint main street, is easily recognizable as the heart of a New England village.
A scene from Lifetime’s new movie “Let’s Get Physical”. Photo credit: Lifetime
Wright was 29 and living in Wells when he was indicted in October 2012 on multiple charges, including prostitution. Kennebunk Police launched a five-month investigation into her in September 2011 into alleged prostitution activities based out of her Zumba studio. This later included the North and South divisions of the Maine Police Major Crimes Division.
In March 2013, Wright was charged with two misdemeanor counts of theft with deception of income tax and welfare fraud, two misdemeanor counts of state income tax evasion, one count of facilitating prostitution, one count of conspiracy to facilitate prostitution, and 14 counts. pleaded guilty to the charge. Engage in prostitution.
Wright was sentenced to 10 months in prison. In November 2013, he was released after serving six months. Her prison sentence was reduced due to her good conduct and participation in her work programme. According to police, her business partner, Thomaston’s Mark Strong, watched the sexual encounters in the studio unfold in real time on his insurance office’s computer. convicted on 13 counts related to
Wright left Cumberland County Court after discussing a plea bargain with his attorney in March 2013 before trial. John Ewing/Staff Photographer
This isn’t the first time Wright’s story has been the subject of a movie. Just two months after Wright was sentenced, the TLC cable network aired an hour-long documentary about him on the case, “Sex, Lies, and Zumba.” The film included interviews with police, lawyers, journalists, and people close to the case.
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