On January 6, Los Angeles (UPI) — Reba McEntire claimed that she based her role, Judge Kim Wheeler, in The Hammer, which premieres on Lifetime on Saturday at 8 p.m. EST, on real-life Nevada judge Kimberly Wanker.
In a recent Television Critics Association Zoom panel, McEntire noted, “I get to perform a lot of different things that I found out that Kim Wanker actually did in her court.” She is very practical and has a great sensibility.
In the movie, Wheeler upends the legal system when she takes office in Nevada’s Fifth Judicial Circuit. Although Wheeler only travels between two courthouses in the film, the real-life Wanker preside over three that cover 25,000 square miles.
The 67-year-old McEntire claimed Wanker was too busy to allow the actress into her actual courtrooms. But Wanker was reachable by phone and text for McEntire’s inquiries.
McEntire pleaded with screenwriters Karen Wyscarver and Sanford Golden to include more real-life incidents based on her interactions with Wanker.
According to McEntire, “the way she stands up to people who have wronged other people, she makes it all fair.” “Sometimes, she acts almost like she’s talking to a child,” someone once said.
The Hammer depicts Wheeler setting up camp in the back of her vehicle as she travels between courts. The actual Wanker essentially lives in her truck, too, McEntire revealed, lest viewers assume that was just artistic licence.
On the back, McEntire described it as a pop-up tent-like structure. She essentially adores being outside and sleeping under the sky.
In 1976, McEntire issued her debut country song as a single. With the release of the 1990 film Tremors, she began acting.
McEntire oversaw the leadership of two sitcoms in the previous 33 years, first Reba and Malibu Country and subsequently Big Sky, in which she presently performs. Acting, according to McEntire, is a logical progression from singing.
When I sing, I also act on stage because I take on the roles of all the characters in the songs, according to McEntire. I am the mother who had to let her daughter leave home, much like when I sing “Fancy,”
Both scripted conversation and the music lyrics, according to McEntire, are essential.
When we appear in front of the camera or the audience, what was written on that paper “comes to life,” according to McEntire. I enjoy singing other people’s ideas and writing, much like a script for a television programme or a movie.
For thirty years, McEntire has been able to juggle acting, touring, and recording. Her 2023 is already looking to be very hectic.
We pretty much have our tour dates planned out through 2023, according to McEntire. It’s all about timing and scheduling, and I praise the Lord that I have been given so many opportunities.
The Hammer might be the first of many films starring Karen Wheeler. It might also go on in other directions.
It might have been a short-lived series, according to McEntire. “There might be a series. Kim does have a tonne of fascinating things to share, so it might just be movies continuing on.”
