Her Only Way Out Filming Locations and Cast Guide

Lifetime’s Her Only Way Out follows Kelly McKenzie, a woman who realizes that simply ending her relationship with Derrick will not be enough to get away from him. After surviving a crash and being pressured into silence, Kelly takes the extraordinary step of staging her own death and starting again under another identity. Her escape works until Derrick turns his attention toward Kelly’s sister, forcing her to decide whether protecting the life she built is more important than protecting the family she left behind. Lifetime premieres the thriller on October 11, 2026.

Directed by Haylie Duff, the film was produced under the shorter title Her Only Way before becoming Her Only Way Out for Lifetime. Katy Wilson leads the cast opposite Joe Kurak and Sarah Borne, while the production itself was made in Kentucky rather than one of Lifetime’s more familiar Canadian filming hubs. Official state records place the shoot in Jefferson and Pulaski counties, with Louisville providing some of the most clearly documented location work.

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Where was Her Only Way Out filmed?

Her Only Way Out was filmed in Kentucky, primarily in Jefferson County and Pulaski County. The Kentucky Entertainment Incentive program lists the production under the company One Her Way, LLC and identifies both counties as filming areas. The project received approval through the state’s film incentive program in October 2025.

That record is particularly useful because it establishes the movie’s production geography independently of the finished story. Kelly’s changing identity requires the film to move between the life she escapes and the quieter existence she creates afterward, but both environments were largely assembled within Kentucky.

Casting records show that production was active in late 2025. Roles connected with Her Only Way were being cast for Louisville in November, while background performers were sought for town scenes scheduled in early December.

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the best-documented individual filming location. Several Casting Networks notices for Her Only Way specifically listed Louisville as the work location, including principal supporting roles and background performers. One December 5 notice sought local people to appear walking through the town during city scenes, confirming that the production used practical Louisville environments rather than keeping the entire movie indoors.

Louisville is part of Jefferson County, one of the two counties named in Kentucky’s official incentive records. That gives the production access to downtown streets, residential neighborhoods, restaurants and older commercial districts without requiring the film to establish Louisville itself as the story’s location.

The casting notices also reveal how much of the film’s world was built around a small-town social network. Supporting roles included local authority figures, restaurant owners and members of the family surrounding Derrick, which fits a story where Kelly believes his connections make simply leaving especially difficult.

Pulaski County, Kentucky

Pulaski County provided the production’s second confirmed Kentucky base. The state’s entertainment incentive report lists it alongside Jefferson County, establishing that the production traveled south from the Louisville area for additional filming.

Public records do not yet identify a specific house, town street or business used in Pulaski County, so it would be premature to assign individual movie scenes to locations around Somerset or elsewhere in the county. The confirmed information is that Pulaski County was part of the official filming footprint.

Its more rural surroundings would have given the production a useful contrast with Louisville’s urban environment. For a story in which Kelly disappears, assumes a new identity and tries to construct an entirely separate life, having access to visually different parts of Kentucky allows the movie to make that transition feel larger without moving production across multiple states.

Haylie Duff directed the Lifetime thriller

Haylie Duff directed Her Only Way Out, continuing a growing behind-the-camera career that has included several Lifetime and streaming thrillers. Duff’s own professional biography lists Her Only Way among her recent directing projects and identifies it as her thirteenth feature as a director.

The movie was produced by Film66, the production company founded by cinematographer and producer Ryan Brown. Brown also served as cinematographer, while Trip Harper and Terrence Kiriokos are credited among the producers. Jeremy M. Inman and Markus Redmond are credited as screenwriters, with John Bankston also receiving a writing credit on current listings.

Katy Wilson as Kelly McKenzie

Katy Wilson leads the movie as Kelly, whose attempt to disappear drives the entire story. Kelly initially believes she can create enough distance between herself and Derrick to be safe, but his family’s influence and his refusal to let her go make a conventional breakup impossible.

Wilson is an Atlanta-based actor whose television work includes Will Trent, Miss Governor and Heels. Her film credits also include Slanted, Secret Life of a Good Wife and A Christmas Murder Mystery. Her professional resume specifically identifies Her Only Way Out as a Lifetime lead role directed by Duff.

The role requires Wilson to play two versions of the same woman. Kelly begins the film trapped by the identity Derrick expects her to occupy, then deliberately creates another life after making him believe she is gone. Her eventual return is therefore not simply about facing Derrick again but about risking everything she built while hidden.

Joe Kurak as Derrick

Joe Kurak plays Derrick, Kelly’s wealthy and controlling former fiance. His family’s status is part of what makes Kelly feel that normal avenues of escape will not protect her, and his later interest in her sister is what finally draws Kelly out of hiding.

Kurak has appeared in thrillers and television movies including Snatched From the Crib, Continental Split, A Fireman for Christmas and AIMEE: The Visitor. Rotten Tomatoes also lists him as Derrick in Her Only Way Out.

The film’s tension depends less on Derrick chasing Kelly continuously than on the reach he appears to have over the life she abandoned. Even after Kelly changes her identity, he remains connected to the people she cares about.

Sarah Borne as Dani

Sarah Borne plays Dani, one of the most important people connecting Kelly’s old and new lives. Current cast records list Borne immediately alongside Wilson and Kurak, while Lifetime’s synopsis establishes Kelly’s sister as the person whose growing connection with Derrick forces Kelly to return.

Borne has appeared in Doom Patrol, Tulsa King, Found, Dynasty and The Ms. Pat Show, along with television movies including Newlywed Nightmare and A Nashville Christmas Carol. Her professional resume lists Her Only Way as a lead Lifetime role under Duff’s direction.

Dani is particularly important because Kelly’s plan depends on remaining absent from everyone she once knew. The moment Derrick moves toward her family, staying hidden stops feeling like survival and begins feeling like another way of allowing him to control her choices.

Logan Shephard, James Alejandro Corso and Deena Dill

Logan Shephard plays Luke, a man Kelly meets after building her new identity. Early casting material described Luke as a kind-hearted restaurant owner who represents a very different type of relationship from the one Kelly experienced with Derrick.

James Alejandro Corso plays Mason, another figure drawn into Kelly’s situation, while Deena Dill appears as Diane. Corso is known for appearances connected with Yellowstone and Duster, while Dill has a long television career that includes roles in shows such as She Spies and Star-Crossed. Current film credits also list Alexis Prewitt as Frannie, Brian Spangler as Nick and Abi Van Andel as Sandra.

Those supporting characters broaden what could otherwise be a simple story of Kelly and Derrick into a thriller about the networks surrounding both of them. Kelly’s escape depends on people willing to believe her and help her, while Derrick’s influence is strengthened by the people and institutions protecting his version of events.

Her Only Way Out ultimately uses Kentucky to create both sides of Kelly’s life. Louisville and the wider Jefferson County area provide part of the town and city setting, while Pulaski County expands the production into a different Kentucky landscape. Combined with Wilson, Kurak and Borne at the center of the cast, those locations give Lifetime’s thriller a grounded small-town world in which disappearing is much harder than Kelly initially hopes.