Katie Cassidy totally transformed into Karen Read for the new Lifetime movie, Accused: The Karen Read Story.
“I just tried to embody the character and I think there are three sides to every story,” Cassidy, 39, said exclusively. Us Weekly before the telefilm’s premiere on Saturday, January 10. “There’s his side, his side, and then there’s the truth, and the truth always comes out.”
Read, 45, was arrested in 2022 for the second-degree murder of her then-boyfriend. John O’Keefe. He pleaded not guilty, and in June 2025, he was eventually acquitted of all charges in connection with O’Keefe’s death and leaving the scene of an accident. Read was found guilty of driving under the influence and sentenced to one year in prison.
Cassidy, meanwhile, plays Read in a made-for-TV recreation of the true crime story.
A verdict has been reached in the retrial for the murder of Karen Read. Read’s second trial ended on Wednesday, June 18, after a jury found her not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2022 death of her then-boyfriend, John O’Keefe. Read, 45, was also found not guilty of leaving the scene of an accident. The (…)
“There’s definitely some pressure, but I also couldn’t let go because then it would get in my head,” Cassidy said. we to put yourself in Read’s shoes. “There’s a part of me that goes into every character I play, of course, but I wanted to do (Karen) justice and I think I did.”
Read was not involved the production of Accusedalthough Cassidy hopes she’ll be satisfied with the final cut.
“I hope he’s proud of it in some way,” Cassidy said. “I hope she is flattered by my portrayal of her.”
According to the actress, she approached the role differently from how she usually prepares to portray TV and film characters.
Katie Cassidy in ‘Accused’.
Courtesy of Lifetime/YouTube“Normally I approach the material, read a script, do script analysis and create a backstory, but in this case, because it’s a true story, I didn’t really do that,” Cassidy explained. “I had to flood myself with as much research as possible, and then let go, trust myself, and go for it.”
Cassidy praised even more Accused director Linda-Lisa Haytertheir support to bring the film to life.
“Our director, Linda-Lisa Hayter, was fantastic. She was my rock while we were shooting,” he said. “I couldn’t have done this without her. She was great because … it was very intense and emotional.”
While Accused highlights Read’s story, Cassidy also hopes the film will serve as a tribute to the late O’Keefe.
Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, is sharing new insights into her case in her second trial. Read, 45, is accused of drunkenly killing O’Keefe in January 2022. Prosecutors allege he hit him with his SUV and left him to die in the snow in (…)
“From what I learned, he was a really wonderful man and he even took care of his sister’s kids and was their father because he lost his sister,” Cassidy said. “So, you know, such a good person’s life was lost here, and that’s why I think it was important that we acknowledge that and come clean about it. I hope this pays tribute to his life in some way, and that was very important to us and the producers.”
From the wrapper Accused, It certainly took Cassidy a moment separate from the character.
Karen Read.
Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images“I feel like I’m still in the process of unpacking everything,” he said we “It takes some time, definitely, (and with) physicality and mannerisms … I stayed longer.”
The Gossip Girl alum further noted that letting go of a character is similar to “mourning” a death.
“I know that might sound weird or morbid, but it’s, in a way, like mourning the death of a character,” Cassidy added. “You have to let it go and then refocus and decompress and come back down to earth, and it’s a bit of a process.”
Accused: The Karen Read Story premieres Saturday, January 10th at 8pm ET.