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The ‘You Married Dat’ star toplines the feature directorial debut for ‘Trifecta’ co-creator Byron Manuel.
By Etan Vlessing
Canada Bureau Chief
Kassandra Lee Diaz has nabbed the lead role in Byron Manuel’s thriller and feature directorial debut Swoon.
Diaz plays a woman tied to a bed while her captor manipulates her into believing they are engaged. The mysterious men in her life are played by Rich Morrow and DeRon Cash, while Efrangeliz Medina, Dean Wil, Herbert Morales and Del Harrison round out the ensemble.
Diaz also starred in Trifecta, which was co-created and directed by Manuel. Her other credits include playing Hope on the You Married Dat comedy, a three-episode arc on Cuddle Season and appearing in the Evette Vargas-directed short film Confessions.
“I was heavily inspired by the human desire of how we are obsessed with both love, and the feeling of being in suspense. Developing Swoon allowed me to explore both in their own warped way, as well as taking my love of Stephen King’s thrillers and putting my stamp on the genre in an urban setting. Plot-twisting romance told through a Barbarian like structure, which is slightly outside the lines, but also stays true to the genre so we could jam-pack each moment with tension within this character-driven story,” Manuel said of Swoon.
Diaz stars as the lead in the 20th Century pilot for 1266, a phone sex comedy from the Onyx Collective that also stars Gabourey Sidibe. Diaz plays the role of Fi, an Afro-Latina queer 20-something who doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
The producer credits for Swoon are shared by Ryan Rojas, Kassandra Lee Diaz, Rich Morrow, Justin Graves and Manuel under their banner, On Script Pictures. Franco Tavera, Cash Oliver, Lily & Raul Terrazas, and Cameron Duncan executive produce alongside JP Ouellette and his production company Circa 1888.
Diaz is repped by Fame Talent Agency.
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