Siobhan Fallon Says New Movie “Shelter in Solitude” Came to Her in a Dream: ‘I Had to Write This’ (Exclusive)

'Shelter in Solitude' tells the story of a death row prisoner with only 10 days to live, and his unlikely bond with a wannabe country singer

Siobhan Fallon is telling a story that hits close to home in her new movie Shelter in Solitude. The 62-year-old Saturday Night Live alum, who wrote and stars in the film, says the film is inspired by her late father.

“My father was an attorney and used to represent prisoners, and a prison guard at one point,” the actress tells PEOPLE. “He would tell stories at the kitchen table. I was kind of obsessed, a little scared, but obsessed… 'What in God's name is going on in there? What are the relationships like? What is it like being a prisoner? Do you have friends?' That kind of thing.”

In 2021, Fallon tried her hand at writing a movie and released Rushed, which she wrote and starred in. “As a character actor, you only work, like, three or four months out of the year, maybe nine months if you're lucky, but that's really a stretch. I thought, ‘Well, I'm going to write films. I'm going to try to write a film,’” the Seinfeld actress says.

While Fallon wasn’t sure if she would continue writing movies, in May of 2021 that all changed. “It was COVID and I’m lying in bed one night,” she remembers. “My father had passed away at this point. This idea comes to me in the middle of the night: Guy on death row, 10 days left to live, crazy, wacky prison guard. I scribble it down like someone would with a dream. I wake up the next day, and I am like, ‘Oh my gosh. I’ve got to write this.’”

Taking on the role of Val, the “washed up, wannabe turned prison guard,” Fallon knew there was one characteristic her character had to embody. “My father always wanted me to be a country singer,” she says, adding, “I felt like it was my father shouting down at me because he just wanted me to be a country singer so badly. I was so close with my father and he was so hilarious.”

After recruiting Rushed costar Robert Patrick to play her big brother and “badass warden,” along with Peter Macon who “gives a home run performance as the death row prisoner,” Fallon recruited some of the people she loves and trusts the most to round out the cast and crew. Along with her husband Peter who produced the movie, Fallon’s eldest daughter Bernadette, 28, “made sure copy was right for the movie,” her younger daughter Sinead, 21, did production design and played “Jenny the Hippy” and her son Peter Jr., 25, plays Chris, the often overlooked rookie, and was music supervisor. Even the fictional town in the movie, Trudyville, is named after their family dog, Trudy. “It was like my family working together, it was great,” Fallon says.

While this movie was certainly a family affair, it was also a reunion. Part of the filming took place in Fallon’s hometown, Cazenovia, New York, and she recruited many people from her childhood to join in on the fun. “All of the extras in the bar scene were members of my high school graduating class… Cazenovia High School class of ‘79. People came from all over. They flew in and stayed with our friends and families… it was like a three-day high school reunion.”

Fallon is known for her witty sarcasm and humor but has taken on a more serious role in this film. “I want to be able to be able to do everything because I love everything. I love movies so much, and I love serious,” she says. “My character is very funny in this movie, but then she's thrust into an extreme and serious situation… I was always taught don't play the funny, because if you do, you lose the audience. You have to stay ahead of the audience at all times, and you play it real. You're not trying to be funny, you’re trying to be real.”

Now that the movie is in theaters, Fallon is looking forward to what viewers might take away from the film. “I hope people take away that it’s time to put aside your differences and start to get back to the basics. You do what's right and be kind to others who are in bad situations,” Fallon says. “If someone squeaky clean saw these characters, they would judge and be like, 'That person's a big sinner,' but they're better than the people who protest to be good…I think if people got back to simple acts of kindness and stopped judging, we’d live in a better place.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.