Backstreet Boys

Two years in the making, Kevin’s new film If I Could Tell You is now out on iTunes and various video-on-demand platforms. The movie follows a woman pursuing an online sperm donor (played by Kevin) behind her husband’s back, in her desperate bid to get pregnant.

Kevin and wife Kristin experienced their own issues while expanding their family, so the subject is close to the singer’s heart. The short film is also his first movie project since 2014’s The Bloody Indulgent and while he’s now busy recording a new Backstreet Boys album, acting remains a passion.

“I was 15 when I did my first theater production and it’s always been a part of me,” he told fans at an LA screening of If I Could Tell You. “It comes and takes over my life in some instances, then disappears and comes back and I try to feed it. I love acting. “When I left the group in 2006 I decided that I really wanted to do my homework and study, so I started taking classes and doing independent films and that gave me the confidence to put my foot forward and say that I am an actor.”

We found out more about the film from director Rob Clyde, who helmed the project with his brother Ben.

Why was this an important story for you to tell?
Rob: Men and women that are suffering from infertility face an extremely difficult and emotional life event that they feel they can’t share with their family and friends. This film helps everyone see a little bit more of what it’s like. It also highlights how far some are going to get pregnant, including the black market of fertility online. 


This is your first movie project. What was the biggest challenge transitioning from the commercial world to film?
Rob: Money. Commercials have nice budgets. Independent film means you have to make every dollar work overtime. Thankfully we had an amazing cast and crew that knocked it out of the park for us! 


How did Kevin get involved and what did he bring to the film?
Rob: My wife Avery and Kristen Richardson were in a pre-natal yoga class together, pregnant with our firstborns. Cayson Clyde and Mason Richardson are about three days apart and nine-years-old now. A few years later we both found ourselves struggling to get pregnant the second time. We went through this traumatic experience at the same time, so it was really nice to have them for support and vice versa. We both underwent fertility treatments like IVF that didn’t work. We were both blessed by conceiving naturally after all that. Max Richardson is three and Kieran Clyde is two-and-a-half. 

It was Kevin who found the 20/20 story that featured the underground, online world of fertility and brought it to our attention while we were in the middle of writing the script. It was the key factor that we believe makes this story unique and gives it a compelling, unbelievable storyline. 


You've both had some level of experience with the heartache of struggling to conceive. How much of your own experiences are conveyed in the movie?
Rob: Though the black market fertility stuff is very real, it was not part of our story. But the overall inspiration behind Avery’s character is our own struggle. Many of the words she says in the film, we said at one point or another. Her performance is so good because she pulled from her own experience that was burned inside of her, like the rest of us who are a part of the fertility community. 


What would be your advice for couples struggling to conceive? 
Rob: Open up about it. Talk to your family. Get a consult from a fertility specialist. But take time after that to consult with a psychologist on how things may go. Look into other options like adoption, foster-to-adopt or not having children. Talk to your therapist about that. There are tons of websites and organizations like Fertility Within Reach, Path 2 Parenthood, and Resolve that have information on all your options. Oh, and watch our movie and share it with everyone you know!

Check out If I Could Tell You on iTunes or other VOD options. Find out more about Kevin & Kristin's story over at Entertainment Tonight.

By Leena Tailor