Donnabella Mortel Appears in Feature Film Freshwater with Zoë Bell and Joe Lando
A summer at the lake turns into a fight for survival. In Freshwater, Donnabella Mortel plays Jamie Castell, alongside Zoë Bell and Joe Lando.
An exclusive scene from Freshwater featuring Donnabella as Jamie Castell.
Freshwater is a horror-suspense creature thriller from writer-director Brandy Berry. The remote island of Lake Charles is the kind of place you go to disappear for a weekend: sun, dock chairs, summer rentals, and the hush of open water at dusk.
That quiet is the setup. As the locals welcome a new wave of visitors for the season, a giant man-eating alligator begins carving its way through the community. Soon a long weekend at the lake house turns into a fight for survival.
Donnabella Mortel in Freshwater as Jamie Castell
Donnabella appears as Jamie Castell, one of the central twenty-somethings whose holiday escape gets pulled out from under them piece by piece. The role asks her to play warmth and panic in the same breath. First she has to be believable as the friend you would actually go to the lake with. Then she carries the audience through the genre turn when the water stops being friendly.
Freshwater (2016).
The Cast
Freshwater assembles a deep genre bench. The ensemble is led by stunt icon turned leading lady Zoë Bell (Death Proof, Kill Bill, Raze) as Brenda Gray. Meanwhile, Joe Lando (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) plays Sheriff Jones and anchors the local side of the story.
The lake-house group around Donnabella includes John Bobek as Matt Hanton, Tom O’Connell as Sam Colton, Alison Haislip as Claudia Mosley, and Amy Paffrath as Kim Whitley. Their chemistry has to land in the first act, so the back half of the picture can hit.
- Writer / Director: Brandy Berry
- Genre: Thriller · Creature Feature
- Donnabella’s role: Jamie Castell
- Co-starring: Zoë Bell, Joe Lando, John Bobek
- Setting: Lake Charles (remote island)
Why This Role Mattered
Creature features live or die on whether you actually care about the people in the water. None of it works if the cast does not sell you on who they are before the danger lands. That is the assignment a role like Jamie hands an actor: build a person fast, make her feel lived-in, and then earn every reaction.
It also put Donnabella on screen with a generation of genre talent. Sharing scenes with Zoë Bell, one of the most respected physical performers in action film, sharpens a craft.
Play warmth and panic in the same breath — that’s the genre assignment, and the heart of the role.
About Donnabella Mortel
Donnabella is an Audie Award-winning audiobook narrator and actress. Her film and television credits include Savages, House, NCIS, How to Get Away with Murder, Jane the Virgin, and Ray Donovan. She also voiced roles in Horizon Forbidden West. You can watch the scene on YouTube.
Explore the full list of screen work on the Acting Credits page, the national campaigns on the Commercials page, and the award-winning audiobook catalog on the Voice & Narration page.
